📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Lakhan Singh Bhargav
Travel
Post-Dussehra Travel Crunch: Trains Full, Airfares Double for Migrants
✍️ Amar Ujala · Bihar
🗓 01 Nov 2026, 08:37 AM
👁 2
Migrants returning to work after Chhath face severe travel shortages, with trains to Delhi, Mumbai, and Punjab fully booked and airfares doubling.
The return journey for millions of migrants heading back to their workplaces after the Chhath festival has turned into a logistical challenge. Between November 17 and 22, a significant number of regular trains departing for major employment hubs such as Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat, and Punjab are reporting a 'no room' status.
Travelers are facing long waiting lists as demand for rail travel spikes during this post-festival period. The scarcity of seats on regular trains has left many workers with limited options for their return trip to the cities where they reside.
In addition to the rail crunch, air travel has become significantly more expensive. Reports indicate that airfares have doubled during this peak travel window, further straining the budgets of those who cannot secure rail tickets. This surge in costs and limited availability highlights the persistent difficulties faced by the migrant workforce during seasonal return periods.
Travelers are facing long waiting lists as demand for rail travel spikes during this post-festival period. The scarcity of seats on regular trains has left many workers with limited options for their return trip to the cities where they reside.
In addition to the rail crunch, air travel has become significantly more expensive. Reports indicate that airfares have doubled during this peak travel window, further straining the budgets of those who cannot secure rail tickets. This surge in costs and limited availability highlights the persistent difficulties faced by the migrant workforce during seasonal return periods.