Kolkata’s Durga Puja crowds will get additional suburban train services as special trains are scheduled on the Sealdah–Krishnanagar, Ranaghat, Kalyani and Shantipur sections during the festival period. The services are intended to support passengers travelling for pandal visits and returning home late at night.
According to the railway timetable reported by Sangbad Pratidin, special trains will operate from 17 to 21 October on the Sealdah main line. A train will leave Sealdah for Krishnanagar City and Ranaghat at 5.55 pm. A special train will depart Krishnanagar City for Sealdah at 8 pm, while a Ranaghat–Sealdah local will leave at 8.08 pm.
The additional services cover routes that connect Kolkata with major suburban destinations where Durga Puja celebrations attract visitors from both the surrounding districts and the city. In recent years, pandals outside central and southern Kolkata have also drawn large crowds, increasing pressure on suburban rail services during the evening and late-night hours.
A special train will leave Sealdah for Kalyani at 7.20 pm, followed by a Kalyani–Sealdah service at 8.55 pm. The reported schedule also includes night services between Naihati, Krishnanagar and Kalyani, extending travel options after regular evening operations.
On the Krishnanagar–Ranaghat section, a special train will leave Ranaghat for Krishnanagar at 11.45 pm. A train will depart Krishnanagar for Naihati at 12.35 am, while a Naihati–Krishnanagar service is scheduled to leave at 2 am. Additional night services will also operate on the Sealdah–Ranaghat and Kalyani–Sealdah routes.
The timetable is aimed at easing passenger pressure on the main line during the peak Puja period. For visitors travelling between Kolkata and suburban pandals, the late-night services could provide additional options after pandal-hopping, although passengers will need to check the applicable timetable and station announcements before travelling.
Railway services between Krishnanagar and Shantipur will also receive an extended arrangement. A special EMU local will run experimentally between the two stations from 13 October to 31 December. The Shantipur–Krishnanagar special local is scheduled to leave at 9.34 am.
The timings of two regular local trains on the Krishnanagar–Shantipur and Shantipur–Ranaghat routes have also been changed, according to the reported railway schedule. The additional and revised services will remain linked to the festival travel period and the longer experimental operation announced for the Krishnanagar–Shantipur section.
