Festival special trains will connect Kolkata and neighbouring railway stations with destinations across North Bengal, North India and southern India during the upcoming Puja, Navratri, Diwali and Chhath travel season, as Eastern Railway and South Eastern Railway prepare additional capacity on high-demand routes.
Eastern Railway will operate a Howrah–Lumding Puja special every Friday from October 16 to November 27. The train will leave Howrah at 7.15 am and reach Lumding at 8 am the following day. It will depart Lumding at 11 am on Saturday and return to Howrah at noon on Sunday.
A Kolkata–New Jalpaiguri express special will run every Saturday and Sunday from October 17 to November 29. It will leave Kolkata station at 11.10 pm and reach New Jalpaiguri at 10.45 am the next day. The two services departing from Howrah will stop at Naihati, Bandel, Nabadwip Dham, Katwa, Azimganj, Jangipur Road, New Farakka and Malda stations under Eastern Railway.
The railway will also run additional services for passengers travelling towards Raxaul, Patna, Sitamarhi, Gorakhpur, Madhubani and Digha. A Howrah–Raxaul Puja special will leave Howrah at 11 pm every Thursday from October 15 to November 27 and reach Raxaul at 4.45 pm the following day. The return service will leave Raxaul at 5.45 pm on Fridays. A second Howrah–Raxaul service will run every Saturday from October 17 to November 28, with a separate train number.
The Sealdah–Patna Puja special will operate from October 13 to November 24, while the Sealdah–Sitamarhi Puja special will run from October 16 to November 27. The two services will leave Sealdah on Tuesdays and Fridays respectively. Sealdah–Gorakhpur special trains will operate every Tuesday and Thursday, while the Kolkata–Madhubani service will run every Tuesday and Friday. Eastern Railway will also operate special trains from Asansol to Patna and Gorakhpur.
A Malda–Digha special train will run every Saturday from October 17 to November 28. It will leave Malda at 1.10 pm and arrive in Digha at 11 pm. The service is intended to connect northern districts with the coastal destination during the extended festive travel period.
South Eastern Railway will operate a Shalimar–Charlapalli special service from October 2 to November 28 every Friday and Saturday. Charlapalli is located near Hyderabad. It will also run a Santragachi–Ajmer special from October 12 to December 31 every Monday and Tuesday. These services will include both sleeper and air-conditioned sleeper coaches.
The announcement comes as reserved-class waiting lists on several routes remain under review. Railway authorities may introduce more special trains or add coaches to selected services depending on passenger demand. Tickets will be available online and through railway reservation counters, although the booking opening dates have not yet been announced.
