Eastern Railway has barred last-minute platform changes for incoming trains during Durga Puja and announced 63 special night suburban services to manage the expected surge in passengers across Kolkata’s Howrah and Sealdah divisions.
The instructions were issued after meetings involving Eastern Railway general manager Gitika Pandey, divisional railway managers and other senior officials. Pandey said station managers had been specifically told to avoid changing a train’s platform at the last minute, particularly at stations where passenger numbers rise sharply during the festival.
“There are some very sensitive stations. We have told everyone to not do any last-minute platform change. This is especially important for all stations in Howrah and Sealdah divisions where the passenger count sees a sharp surge during Puja,” Pandey said.
The railway will operate 51 special night suburban services in the Sealdah division and 12 in the Howrah division. The additional services are intended to support passenger movement during the period when visits to pandals and late-night celebrations generate heavy demand for suburban transport.
Eastern Railway has also increased the number of unreserved ticket counters and expanded mobile-ticketing options, according to sources cited in the report. The measures are aimed at reducing pressure at booking areas and giving commuters more ways to obtain tickets during the festival rush.
The railway has increased surveillance at major stations as part of the crowd-management plan. Howrah division stations are covered by 691 closed-circuit television cameras, while 499 cameras cover major stations in the Sealdah division. The additional monitoring will be linked to control rooms at railway headquarters and at all divisional headquarters.
“There will be control rooms in the headquarters and all divisional headquarters 24×7,” an official said. These war rooms will monitor station conditions and coordinate responses during the period of heightened passenger movement.
Eastern Railway has also received two additional companies of security forces for deployment. Amiya Nandan Sinha, the railway’s principal chief security commissioner, confirmed the additional reinforcement. Passengers have been advised to approach Railway Protection Force personnel in uniform or other railway staff if they require assistance.
The emphasis on avoiding last-minute platform changes reflects the operational risks created when large crowds are required to move quickly between platforms. During a festival surge, clear announcements and predictable platform arrangements are particularly important for passengers unfamiliar with station layouts, elderly commuters and families travelling late at night.
The railway’s arrangements combine service expansion, ticketing changes, surveillance and security deployment. The 24-hour control rooms and war rooms are expected to remain the central coordination points for station-level responses during Durga Puja, while divisional officials will oversee operations in the Howrah and Sealdah networks.
