For most of the year, the last Metro of the night is a mild inconvenience. During Durga Puja, it decides whether you see the pandals of north Kolkata or spend an hour hunting for a taxi at 1 AM. This year Metro Railway, Kolkata has published its Puja-week timetable, and there is one catch that regular commuters on the Orange Line need to know about before Saturday.
In short: the Blue and Green Lines will run late into the night from Saturday, October 17 to Tuesday, October 20, the Yellow and Purple Lines get daytime-to-evening Puja schedules, and the Orange Line will have no service at all from October 17 to 21. Even before that, the Orange Line has been running shorter hours since Tuesday, October 13, because of trial runs on its new stretch.
Puja Week Metro Timetable at a Glance
Maha Panchami and Maha Sasthi (October 15 and 16)
- Blue Line (Dakshineswar to Shahid Khudiram): services from 6 AM to 11 PM, with a train roughly every six minutes at peak. Reports put the day’s total at 284 trains.
- Green Line (Howrah Maidan to Salt Lake Sector V): 240 trains from 6 AM to 11 PM, also with a six-minute peak gap.
- Yellow Line: five direct trips between Jai Hind Bimanbandar and Shahid Khudiram on both days.
Saptami to Navami (October 17 to 20)
- Blue Line: trains from 1 PM until about 4 AM the next morning. The last trains from Dakshineswar and Shahid Khudiram are reported at around 3:46 AM and 3:48 AM, with final services close to 4 AM.
- Green Line: 192 services from about 1:30 PM until roughly 3:59 AM, with an eight-minute gap at rush hour.
- Yellow Line: 72 services from 3 PM to 10:53 PM.
- Purple Line: 38 services daily from 3 PM to 10:55 PM, and this runs through October 21.
Dashami (October 21)
- Blue Line: 140 trains from 1 PM to 10:30 PM, with an eight-minute peak gap. The last trains leave both ends at 10:30 PM.
- Purple Line: runs its Puja schedule on this day too.
Different reports quote slightly different end times for the Green Line and the Blue Line on the late-night days, so treat the exact minute as approximate and check the Metro Railway’s own notice or the AAMAR KOLKATA METRO app on the day you travel.
Why the Orange Line Is Off the Map
The Orange Line is the newest corridor in the city, and it is currently being stretched towards Salt Lake Sector V. Trial runs on the Beleghata to IT Centre section began on October 10. To make room for them, Metro Railway announced on Monday, October 12 that Orange Line passenger service would run only from 8:40 AM to 8:18 PM from October 13, instead of the usual 7:40 AM to 9:08 PM. That is an hour lost in the morning and about fifty minutes in the evening.
The trial period is long. Officials involved in the project have said the trials will last at least a month, covering signalling and software checks, and the target for opening this new stretch to passengers is around Christmas. The extension adds the stations at Gour Kishore Ghosh, Nalban and Sector V (IT Centre), with a new footbridge planned to link IT Centre with the Green Line’s Sector V station. It is part of the long-delayed New Garia to Airport corridor, which was held up for years by a 366-metre gap at Chingrighata that has now been closed.
For Puja week, the Orange Line goes quiet altogether from October 17 to 21. If you normally use it to reach the Bypass side, plan on the Blue Line, a bus, or an app cab instead, and expect longer waits near the pandals.
Planning Your Pandal Night Around the Metro
The Blue Line is the natural spine for a pandal night. It touches Shyambazar and Shobhabazar for the old north Kolkata clubs, Esplanade for the central stretch, and Kalighat and Rabindra Sarobar for the south. The Green Line brings Howrah and Sealdah visitors straight to Esplanade and on towards Salt Lake, which is useful for families arriving from the suburbs. If you are still deciding where to go, our Durga Puja pandal-hopping guide can help you build a route, and our Metro route guide to the Blue, Green, Purple and Orange Lines explains where each line goes.
Roads will be heavily restricted too. Kolkata Police have notified goods-vehicle curbs and road closures for the seven main Puja days (October 13 to 19), plus special arrangements for immersion from October 20 to 24, so the Metro is often the faster option. Our report on the Kolkata Police Durga Puja security plan covers the pandal rules.
Safety and Practical Tips
- Buy tickets before you queue. Officials recommend Smart Cards or QR-based mobile tickets through the AAMAR KOLKATA METRO app, which saves a lot of time at busy counters.
- Know your last train. The late-night trains are the last of the day, and the last departure from each terminal is earlier than the final service at the other end. Check before you start your return.
- Expect crowd control. Stations such as Esplanade, Shyambazar and Kalighat may meter entry at peak hours. Be patient and follow staff instructions.
- Travel in groups and agree on a meeting point if you are with children or elderly relatives.
- Keep valuables in front of you in packed coaches, and avoid carrying large bags.
- Do not rely on the Orange Line between October 13 and the end of trials without checking the day’s timings first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Kolkata Metro run all night during Durga Puja 2026?
Not literally all night, but the Blue and Green Lines are scheduled to run until about 4 AM from October 17 to 20. On Dashami (October 21) the Blue Line stops at 10:30 PM.
Is the Orange Line open during Durga Puja?
No. There is no Orange Line service from October 17 to 21. Before that, from October 13, it runs only from 8:40 AM to 8:18 PM while trial runs continue.
Why are Orange Line timings shorter?
Metro Railway is conducting trial runs on the new Beleghata to IT Centre section and has cut early-morning and late-evening commercial services to make room for them.
When will the new Orange Line stretch to Sector V open?
Officials have pointed to around Christmas for passenger service, but this depends on the trials and safety clearances finishing on time.
Are there extra railway trains for Puja?
Yes. Reports say the Sealdah division will run 51 Puja special trains, including 38 overnight services between 11 PM and 5 AM from October 16 to 21, and other divisions have also announced specials.
The Bottom Line
If you are going pandal-hopping between October 17 and 20, the Blue and Green Lines are your best friends, with trains running into the early hours. If you live along the Orange Line, plan a different route from October 17 to 21 and keep an eye on the shortened timings until trials end. Check the official Metro Railway notice before you leave, and keep your return plan ready before you head out.
Sources: Metro Railway, Kolkata announcements as reported by Millennium Post (October 13, 2026), MENAFN (October 11, 2026), Business Today (October 13, 2026), Swarajya (September 29, 2026) and Kolkata Police traffic notification as reported by Millennium Post (October 5, 2026).
Featured image: A Metro train pulling into a station, photo by Amritansh Dubey on Unsplash.
