📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Ravi Dwivedi
Travel
Migrant workers face train shortages and soaring flight fares after Chhath
✍️ Amar Ujala · Patna
🗓 01 Nov 2026, 07:48 AM
👁 18
Returning migrant labourers find regular trains fully booked and air tickets priced at double, creating a travel crunch after the Chhath festival.
After the Chhath celebrations, a large wave of migrant workers is heading back to their workplaces in Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat and Punjab. The post‑festival rush has quickly filled the regular train services scheduled between 17 and 22 November, leaving many travellers without a reservation.
Railway officials report that most of the ordinary express and passenger trains on these routes show a "no‑room" status, with waiting lists extending to several hundred names. Passengers are being advised to seek alternative modes or to secure tickets well in advance.
Airlines have responded by raising fares on popular corridors, with some tickets now costing twice the pre‑festival price. The surge in demand, combined with limited seat availability, makes air travel unaffordable for many low‑income workers.
State transport authorities have urged commuters to explore private bus operators and newly added railway coaches, but the overall capacity remains insufficient to match the sudden spike in demand.
Railway officials report that most of the ordinary express and passenger trains on these routes show a "no‑room" status, with waiting lists extending to several hundred names. Passengers are being advised to seek alternative modes or to secure tickets well in advance.
Airlines have responded by raising fares on popular corridors, with some tickets now costing twice the pre‑festival price. The surge in demand, combined with limited seat availability, makes air travel unaffordable for many low‑income workers.
State transport authorities have urged commuters to explore private bus operators and newly added railway coaches, but the overall capacity remains insufficient to match the sudden spike in demand.