Sealdah Railway Division gears up for Durga Puja rush

As Kolkata prepares for its biggest annual spectacle, Eastern Railway’s Sealdah Division on Wednesday (October 7, 2026) released a transport plan for the upcoming Durga Puja, preparing to handle lakhs of pandal-hoppers travelling across the suburban network.

The division’s strategy includes running additional train services, extending suburban operations through the night, and maintaining continuous surveillance at critical stations.

“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,” said Sri Rajeev Saxena, Divisional Railway Manager, Sealdah, highlighting the division’s 24×7 War Room surveillance and reinforced amenities.

To accommodate the Puja festival rush, Eastern Railway has outlined a comprehensive service plan that begins on Mahalaya (October 10) with four special EMU trains on the Sealdah-Ranaghat-Lalgola section operating through Panchami (October 15). Throughout the entire festival period, 80 special long-distance train trips are scheduled between October 10 and 25, an increase from 50 in 2025.

Alongside 13 evening peak-hour special trains across the North, Main, and South sections, 38 overnight special EMUs for night-owl pandal-hoppers. From Sashti to Dashami (October 16 to 21), daily special EMU services will scale up to 51, compared to 31 last year. To manage the heavy evening crowd, all suburban services will operate on a Sunday schedule from October 17 to 21,

At Sealdah Station, crowd movement will be streamed through designated channels like Prafulla Dwar and the newly opened Central Gate, while parking lots are being repurposed as holding zones. Infrastructure upgrades include new toilet blocks at Sealdah, Ballygunge, and Dum Dum, upgraded circulating areas, road improvements, temporary booking counters at Ranaghat, and a new ticketing facility near the Barrackpore foot overbridge.

Key areas in stations will have medical booths, help desks, reserve train rakes, standby crews, and mobile maintenance teams. Officials emphasized that passenger safety will take precedence over strict timekeeping, while appealing to commuters to keep station premises clean.

Looking beyond the festival, the division is also rolling out post-Puja operational upgrades to improve daily travel. According to DRM Sri Rajeev Saxena, these additions, including increased suburban frequency, late night Budge Budge services, and new AC halts at Badkulla are tailored directly to regular commuter needs.