Metro Railway, Kolkata recorded an all-time high footfall during Durga Puja 2026, with 61.51 lakh passengers using its services across the six festive days from Panchami to Dashami — a sharp jump from 46.56 lakh in 2025. Crucially, the milestone was achieved without any major incident, according to figures released on 22 October 2026.

Record Daily Count and Busiest Stations

The single busiest day of the festive run was Sasthi, when 12.01 lakh passengers travelled on the Metro — the highest daily passenger count ever recorded in the history of Metro Railway, Kolkata, an official confirmed. Among individual stations, Dum Dum topped the chart with more than 4.97 lakh passengers between Panchami and Dashami, owing to its role as an interchange hub connecting the Metro with suburban rail services to Kolkata's north. Kalighat station ranked second with more than 4.83 lakh passengers, followed by Sealdah station at more than 4.19 lakh.

Night Services and Additional Trains

To accommodate pandal hoppers arriving from across the city and its suburbs, Metro Railway ran nightlong services on the Blue Line (Garia–Dakshineswar) and the Green Line (Howrah Maidan–Salt Lake Sector V) on Saptami, Ashtami, and Navami. Additional services were also deployed across other Metro lines to ease the surge. The expanded network now crisscrosses Kolkata, making Metro the preferred mode of transport for pandal hoppers who previously relied on road transport.

Crowd Management and Security Operations

'During the Puja days, crowd management was a great challenge for Metro Railway. In order to ensure efficient crowd management, elaborate planning was made, and accordingly various measures were taken. Crowd management instructions were prepared and issued to assign roles and responsibilities to each officer and staff deployed for Puja duty,' an official said. Prior to the festivities, a series of inter-departmental meetings were held to design a coordinated action plan. Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel and state police were deployed at key stations, while extensive CCTV monitoring enabled real-time crowd dispersal. Kolkata Police and West Bengal Police were kept in continuous coordination throughout the period.

Medical Preparedness and Senior Official Oversight

Medical booths staffed with doctors and paramedical personnel were set up at important stations to handle any emergencies during the high-traffic period. Metro Railway General Manager Prem Sagar Gupta personally visited various stations and travelled aboard trains to ensure compliance with operational protocols. On 22 October 2026, the Metro organised Rail Jan Samvad camps at multiple stations, enabling commuters — particularly younger passengers — to interact directly with senior officials and share feedback on cleanliness, services, and amenities.

Looking Ahead

Senior officials assured commuters that all suggestions received at the Rail Jan Samvad camps would be examined and feasible ones implemented. With Kolkata's Metro network continuing to expand, the 2026 Durga Puja figures are expected to set a benchmark for future festive operations planning.