- By Priyanka Koul
- Mon, 11 May 2026 06:54 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Ahead of the summer vacation season, Indian Railways has begun preparations to manage the expected surge in passenger traffic between Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. To ease the heavy rush on trains heading towards hill stations and other tourist destinations, an AC Special Train will operate between Varanasi and Chandigarh from May 14.
With schools set to close for summer holidays in the coming days, demand for travel on the Lucknow-Chandigarh route has increased sharply. The Chandigarh Express departing from Lucknow has been witnessing long waiting lists, with many passengers unable to secure confirmed tickets even under the Tatkal quota. Demand under the VIP quota has also remained high.
Considering the growing rush, Railways has decided to run Train No. 04227/04228 AC Special between Varanasi and Chandigarh via Lucknow twice a week.
Train No. 04227 will operate from May 14 to July 12 every Thursday and Sunday. It will depart from Varanasi at 11:05 am and pass through Maa Belha Devi Dham Pratapgarh Junction, Rae Bareli and Lucknow. The train will leave Lucknow at 5:15 pm and reach Chandigarh at 4:20 am the following day.
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Similarly, the return service, Train No. 04228, will run from May 15 to July 13 every Friday and Monday. The train will depart from Chandigarh at 6 am, reach Lucknow at 6:30 pm and arrive in Varanasi at 12:55 am.
Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Samarth Gupta told Jagran.com that the train will consist of 12 AC Third Class coaches and five AC Second Class coaches. He said the special service is expected to provide major relief to passengers facing long waiting lists during the peak summer travel season.