Kolkata Metro will run late-night services on the Blue and Green lines from Saptami to Navami during Durga Puja, extending operations until the early hours to manage festival travel across the city. The schedule will cover four days this year because Saptami falls on both October 17 and October 18.
Metro Railway announced the Puja operating plan on Thursday. On the Blue Line, services on Panchami and Sashthi, October 15 and 16, will run from 6am to 11pm, with 284 trains scheduled each day and a peak-hour frequency of six minutes.
From Saptami to Navami, October 17 to 20, the Blue Line will operate 248 trains daily from 1pm until 4am the following day. Trains during peak periods will run at six-minute intervals. On Dashami, October 21, the line will operate 140 services from 1pm to 10.30pm, with an eight-minute peak-hour frequency.
The East-West Metro, or Green Line, will operate 240 services each on Panchami and Sashthi from 6am to 11pm, with trains arriving every six minutes during peak hours. From Saptami to Navami, it will run 192 services from 1.30pm until 3.59am the next day, with an eight-minute peak-hour frequency.
On Dashami, the Green Line will run 74 trains from 1.30pm to 10.30pm, with a 15-minute interval between services. The extended hours on the two corridors are intended to support movement during the period when pandal visits, shopping and cultural events generate heavy demand for public transport.
The schedule is significant for Kolkata’s festival mobility because the Metro network provides a way for visitors to avoid road congestion and reduce dependence on private vehicles and app-based transport during the busiest Puja nights. The late services also create a longer public-transport window for passengers returning from pandal visits after midnight.
Metro Railway has also announced separate operating schedules for other services during the festival period. However, the Orange Line will remain closed to commercial services from Saptami to Dashami. The announced timetable will take effect with the start of the Puja travel schedule on Panchami, October 15.
