Late-night local trains will operate on key suburban routes from October 17 to 21 to manage the Durga Puja rush, with railway authorities anticipating seven to eight lakh passengers at Howrah Station and adding services to improve movement across Kolkata and adjoining areas.
The Howrah Division will run seven late-night local or EMU special services on routes including Burdwan–Howrah, Howrah–Chandanpur, Bandel–Howrah, Tarakeswar–Sheoraphuli and Bandel–Naihati. The services have been planned for the peak Puja period, when large numbers of visitors travel between neighbourhoods and pandals late into the night.
A key addition this year is a late-night connection between the Howrah and Sealdah railway systems through Dankuni and Naihati. According to Howrah Divisional Railway Manager Vishal Kapoor, one special service will leave Sealdah at 11 pm for Dankuni and return at 11.52 pm. Another will depart Bandel at 12.45 am for Naihati and return at 1.15 am.
“This arrangement will facilitate late-night movement of Puja visitors between the two railway systems and provide greater flexibility to devotees visiting pandals across Kolkata and adjoining areas,” Kapoor said, according to the announcement.
The additional connectivity addresses a practical limitation of Kolkata’s suburban rail network during major festivals: passenger demand often continues after regular evening travel patterns have eased, while visitors may need to cross between areas served by different railway systems. The planned Dankuni and Naihati services are intended to provide a late-night link for those travelling between the two networks.
The division has also prepared additional long-distance and suburban capacity for the festival period. Seven pairs of Trains on Demand Puja Special services, involving 174 trips, will operate from Howrah towards destinations including New Jalpaiguri and Siliguri, New Delhi, Patna, Katihar, Lumding and Raxaul.
In addition, seven special EMU services involving 70 trips, 25 pairs of Puja special trains passing through the division involving 402 trips, and five pairs of Mail and Express trains with additional coaches involving 56 trips have been planned. The figures cover services operating through the division as well as trains originating from Howrah.
The railway division will keep two reserved standby rakes and four unreserved standby rakes ready for deployment if passenger demand rises sharply. The standby arrangement includes high-capacity unreserved rakes intended to help clear sudden passenger surges.
The services and standby trains form part of the Howrah Division’s arrangements for the five-day period from October 17 to 21. Further deployment will depend on passenger demand during the Puja rush, with the railway authorities retaining additional rolling stock for situations requiring rapid capacity expansion.
