Durga Puja 2025: Indian Railways Rolls Out 20 Extra Trains, IndiGo Adds 23 Flights To Kolkata

The countdown to Durga Puja has begun, and so has the great travel rush. Kolkata, the heart of the festival, braces every year for an overwhelming tide of travellers, and 2025 is no different. To meet the frenzy head-on, Indian Railways and IndiGo Airlines are rolling out a fresh round of special services, hoping to make journeys a little less frantic and a lot smoother.

Indian Railways Adds Puja Special Trains For Festive Rush

For those who prefer the rhythm of the tracks, the Central Railways is adding muscle to its services. According to India Today, twenty additional trips of the Hadapsar-Danapur-Hadapsar Puja Special will hit the rails starting September 29, running all the way until December 1, 2025. 

Here’s how the timetable plays out:

• 03214 Hadapsar-Danapur Weekly Special: Every Monday at 6:45 am from Hadapsar, reaching Danapur the next evening.
• 03213 Danapur-Hadapsar Weekly Special: Every Saturday at 9 pm out of Danapur, pulling into Hadapsar early morning two days later.

And it’s not just Danapur. The extensions stretch far wider; Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) now has longer runs to Dhanbad, Saharsa, Raxaul, Banaras, and Karimnagar. Notably, the 03380 LTT–Dhanbad Special stays on track until December 4, running Thursdays, while its return twin, 03379 Dhanbad-LTT, will continue until December 2, every Tuesday. 

Also Read: Durga Puja 2025: From Kolkata To Mumbai, Top 8 Cities In India To Go Pandal Hopping & Seek Maa Durga’s Blessings

Durga Puja 2025 Travel: Easier Journeys By Rail And Air

Add to that a mix of routes linking Saharsa, Raxaul, Hissar, Khadki, Bikaner, Sainagar Shirdi, Pune, Amravati, and Virangana Lakshmibai Jhansi to Hadapsar, and you get a network clearly designed with Puja crowds in mind.

Railway officials admit the plan is simple: to anticipate the seasonal surge before it spills over into chaos.

Not everyone chooses the rails, of course. For flyers, IndiGo is stepping in with extra wings. The airline will operate 23 additional flights to Kolkata from multiple cities across India during Durga Puja, while also swapping in larger aircraft on select routes, as stated by India Today. 

The idea is simple: more seats, more flexibility, and fewer anxious families scrambling at the last minute. With tickets often vanishing in hours around this season, the expansion is likely to come as a relief for travellers heading home or simply visiting Kolkata to soak in the Puja atmosphere.

Also Read: Lucknow’s Iconic Durga Puja Pandal Will Recreate Kumbh Mela 2025; Will Pay Homage To 13 Akharas

Between the steady clatter of special trains and the hum of extra flights, this year’s festive rush might just feel a little more manageable. Durga Puja has always been about reunion and celebration, and the 2025 travel blueprint aims to honour that. Families now have a fighting chance at journeys that begin not with stress, but with anticipation.

Cover Image Courtesy: shouvikmondal/CanvaPro and uyscuti/Wikimedia Commons