Kolkata Metro faced severe crowding during Durga Puja on Shashthi, with passengers packed into trains, doors reportedly failing to close and police personnel pulling travellers out at several stations, according to a report by Sangbad Pratidin. The congestion affected commuters travelling to pandals across the city and was also reported on local trains towards Sealdah.
The report said the rush had begun from Panchami, when stations including Chandni Chowk and Esplanade saw large crowds from the afternoon onwards. Trains were described as heavily overcrowded, while multiple cancellations added to the pressure on services and left passengers attempting to board already full coaches.
As trains reached stations, their doors were reportedly unable to close in a single attempt because of the number of passengers inside and near the entrances. This led to trains remaining at platforms for longer periods. At some stations, police personnel intervened and pulled passengers out of coaches to enable the doors to close, the report said.
The situation continued on Shashthi as more people left home to visit Kolkata’s Durga Puja installations. Passenger numbers rose through the day across the Metro, bus and suburban rail networks. Sangbad Pratidin reported that Metro personnel repeatedly asked passengers not to board the same train, but the warnings had limited effect as commuters tried to save travel time and maximise the time available for pandal visits.
The crowding highlights the operational pressure placed on Kolkata’s public transport system during the city’s peak festival period. Pandal-hopping has increasingly begun before the traditional main days of the festival, bringing large passenger volumes to central and popular areas over several consecutive days rather than concentrating demand only on the final days.
The report also said that local trains towards Sealdah were experiencing a similar rush. In response to the pressure on passengers, the railway has decided to operate additional trains from Saptami, the report said. The extra services are expected to provide more capacity as Durga Puja travel continues.
For Metro passengers, the immediate challenge remains managing the gap between demand at crowded stations and the capacity available on individual trains. When doors cannot close, services are delayed at platforms, reducing the frequency of trains available to passengers waiting further along the route. The resulting delays can intensify crowding at subsequent stations.
Sangbad Pratidin’s report did not provide figures for passenger volumes, the number of cancelled trains or the specific stations where police intervention took place. It also did not include a detailed statement from the Metro authorities on the duration of the disruptions or any additional service measures for the remaining Puja days. The railways’ planned additional trains from Saptami are the next stated operational step.
