With summer vacations around the corner and school exams concluding, families across India are finalising their travel plans, only to find packed trains and endless waitlists. In a welcome move, Indian Railways has announced special summer services to ease the holiday rush, including key routes connecting Mumbai and Lucknow to popular destinations.

The newly introduced special trains, operational from April 21 through mid-July, come as a relief to vacationers struggling to secure confirmed tickets. These additional services specifically target high-demand routes that typically see heavy summer traffic, offering much-needed alternatives to regular booked-out trains.

A special Chandigarh–Lucknow train (04209/04210) will run thrice a week.

• From Lucknow: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 8:45 PM

• From Chandigarh: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 3:25 PM

• Total Trips: 35 (from April 21 to July 10)

• Major Halts: Shahjahanpur, Bareilly, and Moradabad

In addition, two summer specials from Mumbai will pass through Lucknow. Mumbai Varanasi via Lucknow Summer Special train will be run from 9th April. This train will run in 12 rounds, while the second Summer Special Bandra Barauni will run from 13th April.

Mumbai Central–Varanasi Summer Special (09183/09184)

• From Mumbai Central (09183):

  • Departure: 11:50 PM on April 9, 16, 23, 30; May 7, 14, 21, 28; June 4, 11, 18, 25

  • Arrival in Varanasi: 4:15 AM (next day)

  • Route: Via Rae Bareli, Amethi, Pratapgarh (reaches around 10:30 AM)

• From Varanasi (09184):

  • Departure: 2:30 PM on April 11, 18, 25; May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; June 6, 13, 20, 27

  • Arrival in Lucknow: 9:15 PM; Mumbai Central: 4:20 AM (next day)

Banda–Barhni–Bandra Summer Special (09043/09044)

• From Banda (09043):

  • Departure: 12:05 PM on April 13, 20, 27; May 4, 11, 18, 25; June 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

  • Arrival in Lucknow (Charbagh): 3:20 AM (next day); Barhni: 8:00 AM

• From Barhni (09044):

  • Departure: 1:30 PM on April 14, 21, 28; May 5, 12, 19, 26; June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

  • Arrival in Bandra Terminus: 6:35 PM (next day); final halt: 11:50 PM

According to Vinod Bhatia, DRM of Ambala division, these services are part of a broader effort to manage summer crowds. So if you’re planning a getaway from Mumbai or Lucknow, you might just snag that elusive confirmed ticket!