Central Railway will operate 12 additional suburban special trains on the occasion of Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Mahaparinirvan Divas 2025, officials said on Monday.
The special trains will run between Parel-Kalyan and Kurla-Panvel on the midnight of December 5–6, (Friday–Saturday), stopping at all stations to facilitate passenger travel.
Main Line – UP Specials (Parel–Kalyan section):
Kurla–Parel Special: Departs Kurla 00:45 hrs, arrives Parel 01:05 hrs
Kalyan–Parel Special: Departs Kalyan 01:00 hrs, arrives Parel 02:20 hrs
Thane–Parel Special: Departs Thane 02:10 hrs, arrives Parel 02:55 hrs
Main Line – DOWN Specials (Kalyan–Parel section):
Parel–Thane Special: Departs Parel 01:15 hrs, arrives Thane 01:55 hrs
Parel–Kalyan Special: Departs Parel 02:30 hrs, arrives Kalyan 03:50 hrs
Parel–Kurla Special: Departs Parel 03:05 hrs, arrives Kurla 03:20 hrs
Harbour Line – UP Specials (Panvel–Kurla section):
Vashi–Kurla Special: Departs Vashi 01:30 hrs, arrives Kurla 02:10 hrs
Panvel–Kurla Special: Departs Panvel 01:40 hrs, arrives Kurla 02:45 hrs
Vashi–Kurla Special: Departs Vashi 03:10 hrs, arrives Kurla 03:40 hrs
Harbour Line – DOWN Specials (Kurla–Panvel section):
Kurla–Vashi Special: Departs Kurla 02:30 hrs, arrives Vashi 03:00 hrs
Kurla–Panvel Special: Departs Kurla 03:00 hrs, arrives Panvel 04:00 hrs
Kurla–Vashi Special: Departs Kurla 04:00 hrs, arrives Vashi 04:35 hrs
Central Railway extends Solapur–Ajmer weekly special trains for 10 more trips
The Central Railway’s Solapur Division has announced that the special trains running between Solapur and Ajmer will continue for an additional 10 trips.
Train No. 09627 (Ajmer–Solapur Weekly Special), earlier scheduled to run until November 26, 2025, will now operate every Wednesday from December 3, 2025, to December 31, 2025 (5 trips).
Train No. 09628 (Solapur–Ajmer Weekly Special), earlier scheduled to run until November 27, 2025, will now operate every Thursday from December 4, 2025, to January 1, 2026 (5 trips).
Route update: On December 3 and 4, Train No. 09627 and Train No. 09628 will be diverted via Ajmer–Chanderia–Kota instead of Ajmer–Sawai Madhopur–Kota, with stoppages at Bijainagar and Bhilwara. Other trips will follow the usual route with no changes in composition or stoppages.
Western Railway changes Tatkal booking system, rolls out OTP verification for passengers
Western Railway last week announced it was making an important change to the Tatkal booking system for trains to make ticketing more transparent and passenger-friendly.
According to an official statement, from December 1, 2025, Tatkal tickets for the Mumbai Central-Ahmedabad Shatabdi Express will be issued only after passengers complete OTP (One Time Password) authentication.
Western Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer, Vineet Abhishek, said that the OTP will be sent to the mobile number given by the passenger at the time of booking.
The ticket will be issued only after the OTP is successfully verified, the official said.
The new system will apply to Tatkal bookings made through-
– Computerised PRS counters
– Authorised agents
– The IRCTC website
– The IRCTC mobile app
Western Railway said the move aims to curb misuse, promote transparency, and ensure genuine passengers have better chances of securing Tatkal tickets.
