Chhath Puja 2026 train ticket booking date — when it opens on IRCTC

Chhath Puja 2026 is 15 November. Train booking opens 60 days before your journey at 8:00 AM IST — mid-September 2026. Exact opening dates, the Aadhaar rule, and how to beat India's biggest train rush.

Chhath Puja is the hardest train ticket to get in all of India. For Bihar, eastern UP and Jharkhand, the Chhath rush dwarfs even Diwali — lakhs of people head home in the same few days, and confirmed tickets on trains to Patna, Chhapra, Muzaffarpur, Danapur and Darbhanga vanish the instant booking opens.

The only way to win is to be on IRCTC the exact morning the 60-day window opens — Aadhaar-verified and ready.

⚠️ First: Aadhaar-verify your IRCTC account (2026 rule)

From 12 January 2026, on a train's booking-opening day only Aadhaar-authenticated IRCTC accounts can book reserved tickets online — from 8:00 AM to midnight. Non-verified accounts wait until the next day, by which point Chhath trains are long gone.

No extra charge, no separate quota — the advantage is purely timing on the opening morning.
Applies on the IRCTC website and Rail Connect app.
Action: verify now — IRCTC → My Account → Authenticate User / link Aadhaar. Don't leave it for the morning itself.

Chhath Puja 2026 train ticket opening date

Quick answer: Chhath Puja 2026 is Sunday, 15 November (Sandhya Arghya). Train booking for the main day opens on Wednesday, 16 September 2026 at 8:00 AM IST (60 days before, ARP rule). Most people travel a few days earlier, so their booking opens in mid-September — see the exact date for your day below.

Chhath 2026 schedule:

Nahay Khay — Friday, 13 November 2026
Kharna — Saturday, 14 November 2026
Sandhya Arghya (main day) — Sunday, 15 November 2026
Usha Arghya (parana) — Monday, 16 November 2026

Peak travel window: 11–18 November (reaching home before Chhath, returning after).

Booking opens 60 days before your journey, at 8:00 AM IST:

Journey day	Booking opens (8:00 IST)
Wednesday, 11 Nov 2026	Saturday, 12 Sep 2026
Thursday, 12 Nov 2026	Sunday, 13 Sep 2026
Friday, 13 Nov 2026 (Nahay Khay)	Monday, 14 Sep 2026
Saturday, 14 Nov 2026 (Kharna)	Tuesday, 15 Sep 2026
Sunday, 15 Nov 2026 (Sandhya Arghya)	Wednesday, 16 Sep 2026
Monday, 16 Nov 2026 (Usha Arghya)	Thursday, 17 Sep 2026
Tuesday, 17 Nov 2026 (return)	Friday, 18 Sep 2026
Wednesday, 18 Nov 2026 (return)	Saturday, 19 Sep 2026

Note the overlap with Diwali. Diwali (8 Nov) and Chhath (15 Nov) are a week apart, so the booking windows run back-to-back through September. If you travel home once for both, book for your outbound date — that's the earliest window that covers your whole trip.

The Chhath trains that sell out first

Confirmed berths go in seconds on these — have your journey planned before booking opens:

Rajdhani / Sampark Kranti to Patna, Rajendra Nagar (12309/12310, 12393/12394, 12565/12566 Bihar Sampark Kranti)
Vikramshila, Sampoorna Kranti, Magadh, Brahmaputra Mail to Bhagalpur/Patna/Danapur
Trains to Chhapra, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Barauni, Saharsa
Special Chhath Puja Special trains — Railways announces these ~3–4 weeks before; they open for booking with less notice, so watch for them too.

Miss the confirmed window? Your options

Tatkal — opens 1 day before departure (10:00 AM AC / 11:00 AM Sleeper). Brutal for Chhath but sometimes the only shot. Tatkal timing guide.
Waitlist — Chhath WL clears poorly because almost no one cancels. Don't count on it. Waitlist types explained.
Chhath Special trains — often have seats when regular trains are full. Check IRCTC for "Special" trains on your route.

Booking-morning checklist

7:50 AM — open IRCTC, log in (Aadhaar-verified account).
7:55 AM — pre-load the train search with your date and route.
7:59 AM — refresh, finger on "Book Now".
Use a saved Master List so passenger details auto-fill — every second counts. Master List guide.

Booking is still weeks away — set your exact date and a free reminder now, and we'll ping you the morning it opens.