Western Railway will add temporary passenger capacity for the 2026 festival season through an extra sleeper coach on the Sabarmati–Prayagraj Special and a weekly Pratapnagar–Kolkata Special train, according to a report by Gujarat Samachar – Ahmedabad. The measures are intended to address higher passenger demand during the festival period.
An additional sleeper coach will be attached to train number 04180, the Sabarmati–Prayagraj Special, on October 11 and October 14, 2026. On the return service, train number 04179, the Prayagraj–Sabarmati Special, the additional sleeper coach will be available on October 10 and October 13.
The temporary coach will provide more sleeper berths for passengers travelling towards North India during the festival season. The announcement comes as rail services typically face increased demand around major holiday travel periods, particularly on routes linking Gujarat with Uttar Pradesh and other northern destinations.
Western Railway will also operate train number 03110, the Pratapnagar–Kolkata Special, every Thursday from October 15 to November 26, 2026. The train will depart from Pratapnagar at 4.15 pm and reach Kolkata at 12.05 pm on Saturday. The return service, train number 03109, will operate every Tuesday from October 13 to November 24, departing Kolkata at 8 am and reaching Pratapnagar at 11.40 pm the following day.
The weekly special will stop in both directions at Vadodara, Godhra, Ratlam, Ramganj Mandi, Kota Junction, Sawai Madhopur, Gangapur City, Idgah Agra, Tundla, Govindpuri, Prayagraj, Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction, Bhabua Road, Sasaram, Dehri On Son, Anugraha Narayan Road, Gaya, Tilaiya, Nawada, Sheikhpura, Kiul, Jhajha, Jasidih, Madhupur, Chittaranjan, Asansol, Durgapur and Barddhaman, among other stations listed for the service.
The train will include third AC, sleeper and general second-class coaches, giving passengers different fare and accommodation options. The route connects industrial and urban centres across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, while also serving passengers travelling through major junctions such as Vadodara, Kota, Prayagraj, Gaya and Asansol.
The temporary services illustrate how the railway network responds to seasonal demand by combining short-term coach augmentation with additional scheduled services. For passengers, the key operational details are the limited dates of the extra sleeper coach and the fixed operating period of the Pratapnagar–Kolkata train. Western Railway’s announced schedule runs through November 26 for the outward service and November 24 for the return service.
