Railways to run special trains to Bengal for Durga Puja rush

Eastern Railway is set to operate special trains on routes to West Bengal ahead of Durga Puja, responding to a surge in passenger demand during the festive season. The festival will be observed from October 16 to October 21 this year, prompting a large number of people to travel to their hometowns in Bengal from across the country.

Shivram Majhi, Chief Public Relations Officer of Eastern Railway, confirmed that additional services will be introduced on routes where demand is expected to be highest during the holiday period. The move comes as regular trains on several key routes are already reporting heavy bookings.

In a related measure, the zonal railway has revised the working hours of computerised reservation offices in the Kolkata and Howrah areas. These offices will operate in a single shift from 8 am to 2 pm on October 19, 20, and 21, instead of the usual two shifts. Booking counters at Howrah, Sealdah, and Kolkata Terminal will, however, continue to function as normal on these days.

Demand for Bengal-bound trains is particularly strong on the Delhi-Howrah route. The 12306 Kolkata Rajdhani is fully booked for October 16 across all classes, with waitlists exceeding 200 in Third AC. The 12314 Sealdah Rajdhani has a waitlist of over 290 in Third AC, while higher classes are showing REGRET status. The 12382 Poorva Express is fully booked across all classes, and the 12260 Sealdah Duronto has a waitlist of more than 220 in Third AC.

The Mumbai-Howrah route is also witnessing heavy demand. The 12859 Gitanjali Express has a waitlist of over 120 in Sleeper Class, while the 12322 Kolkata Mail is showing REGRET in Sleeper and First AC, with a waitlist of over 120 in Third AC.

On the Chennai-Howrah route, the 12509 Guwahati Express is fully booked across all classes. The 12842 Coromandel Express shows REGRET in Third AC and Third AC Economy, with waitlists of over 130 in Sleeper Class. The 16107 SRC Amrit Bharat Express has a waitlist exceeding 110 in Sleeper Class.

The Guwahati-Howrah route is similarly crowded. The 27576 Howrah-Kamakhya Vande Bharat Sleeper has a waitlist of over 150 in Third AC, while the 12346 Saraighat Express shows waitlists of over 110 in Sleeper and 90 in Third AC. The 13176 Kanchanjunga Express has a waitlist of over 70 in Sleeper Class.

Other routes to Bengal, including Patna-Howrah, Hyderabad-Howrah, Bengaluru-Howrah, and Surat-Howrah, are also expected to see increased passenger traffic during the festival period.