Eastern Railway’s Sealdah Division has announced additional trains, overnight suburban services, station holding zones and expanded safety arrangements to manage the expected Durga Puja travel rush across Kolkata’s suburban rail network from October 10 to 25.
The plan, released on October 7, is designed to handle lakhs of pandal-hoppers travelling during Bengal’s biggest annual festival. It includes additional EMU services, extended night operations, continuous surveillance at key stations and a 24×7 War Room for monitoring passenger movement and responding to operational issues.
“Durga Puja is the biggest festival in Bengal, and our utmost priority is to deliver a safe, comfortable, and seamless travel experience for every commuter,” Sealdah Divisional Railway Manager Rajeev Saxena said, according to the division’s announcement.
The special operating plan begins on Mahalaya, October 10, with four special EMU trains on the Sealdah-Ranaghat-Lalgola section running through Panchami on October 15. Eastern Railway has also scheduled 80 special long-distance train trips between October 10 and 25, compared with 50 trips during the corresponding period in 2025.
The suburban network will receive 13 additional evening peak-hour trains across the North, Main and South sections. It will also operate 38 overnight special EMUs for passengers travelling to pandals late at night. From Sashti to Dashami, between October 16 and 21, daily special EMU services will increase to 51, up from 31 last year.
To prepare for heavier evening crowds, all suburban services will follow a Sunday timetable from October 17 to 21. Railway officials have indicated that passenger safety will take priority over strict adherence to train timings during the festival period.
At Sealdah station, passenger movement will be channelled through designated routes including Prafulla Dwar and the newly opened Central Gate. Parking areas are being converted into holding zones to regulate crowd movement and reduce pressure on station circulation areas.
The infrastructure measures include new toilet blocks at Sealdah, Ballygunge and Dum Dum stations, improvements to circulating areas and road access, temporary booking counters at Ranaghat and a new ticketing facility near the Barrackpore foot overbridge. Medical booths, help desks, reserve train rakes, standby crews and mobile maintenance teams will be positioned at key locations.
The division is also appealing to passengers to keep station premises clean during the festival. The arrangements are intended to support both short-term Puja travel and the continuity of essential suburban connectivity during one of the busiest periods on Kolkata’s rail network.
Beyond the festival, Sealdah Division plans operational changes aimed at regular commuters, including increased suburban frequency, late-night services to Budge Budge and new air-conditioned halts at Badkulla. The Puja timetable and associated station arrangements will remain the immediate focus through October 25.
