Eastern Railway and South Eastern Railway will operate multiple special trains from Kolkata and nearby stations during the 2026 festive season, adding services to North Bengal, northern India, eastern India and destinations in the south. The services are intended to meet higher passenger demand during Puja, Navratri, Diwali and Chhath, with more trains or additional coaches also possible on routes showing heavy waiting lists.
The Eastern Railway schedule includes a Howrah-Lumding Puja Special that will run every Friday from October 16 to November 27. It will leave Howrah at 7.15am and reach Lumding at 8am the following day. After departing Lumding at 11am on Saturday, the train will return to Howrah at noon on Sunday.
A Kolkata-New Jalpaiguri Express Puja Special will operate every Saturday and Sunday from October 17 to November 29. The train will leave Kolkata station at 11.10pm and arrive at New Jalpaiguri at 10.45am the next day. The two services departing from Howrah will stop at Naihati, Bandel, Nabadwip Dham, Katwa, Azimganj, Jangipur Road, New Farakka and Malda.
Eastern Railway will also run 10 additional festive services to destinations including Raxaul, Patna, Sitamarhi, Gorakhpur, Madhubani and Digha. The Howrah-Raxaul Puja Special will run on Thursdays from October 15 to November 27, leaving Howrah at 11pm and reaching Raxaul at 4.45pm the next day. It will return at 5.45pm on Fridays. A second train on the same route will run on Saturdays from October 17 to November 28, under a different train number.
Other announced services include Sealdah-Patna trains running from October 13 to November 24, and Sealdah-Sitamarhi trains from October 16 to November 27. The two services will operate on Tuesdays and Fridays respectively. Sealdah-Gorakhpur special trains will run every Tuesday and Thursday, while Kolkata-Madhubani services will operate every Tuesday and Friday. Eastern Railway will also run special trains from Asansol to Patna and Gorakhpur.
A Malda-Digha special will operate every Saturday between October 17 and November 28. It will leave Malda at 1.10pm and reach Digha at 11pm. The service will create a direct festive-season connection between northern West Bengal and the coastal destination in eastern India.
South Eastern Railway will operate services from Shalimar to Charlapalli, near Secunderabad, every Friday and Saturday from October 2 to November 28. It will also run trains between Santragachi and Ajmer every Monday and Tuesday from October 12 to December 31. These services will include both regular sleeper and air-conditioned sleeper coaches.
The additional trains are being introduced as the railways assess demand on reserved services during the festive period. Railway sources indicated that further trains could be added after reviewing waiting lists, while some existing services may receive additional coaches. Tickets will be sold online and through railway reservation counters, although the opening dates for bookings have not yet been announced.
