Bhubaneswar: With passenger traffic expected to rise during the upcoming Durga Puja and Diwali festive season, the Railways will operate additional Puja Special trains on two important routes to accommodate the extra rush and facilitate passenger travel.
The special services will connect Puri with Santragachi and Shalimar with Khurda Road during October and November.
Puri-Santragachi-Puri Puja Special
Train No. 08405 Puri-Santragachi Puja Special will run every Monday from October 5 to October 26, 2026. In the return direction, Train No. 08406 Santragachi-Puri Puja Special will operate every Tuesday from October 6 to October 27.
Train No. 08405 will leave Puri at 5:45 pm and reach Santragachi at 3:45 am the following day. The return service will depart Santragachi at 8:45 am and arrive at Puri at 7 pm.
The trains will stop at Sakhigopal, Khurda Road, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Jajpur Keonjhar Road, Bhadrak, Baleshwar, Rupsa, Jaleswar, Belda and Kharagpur.
The 18-coach train will comprise one AC 2-Tier coach, three AC 3-Tier coaches, eight Sleeper Class coaches, four General coaches and two Luggage-cum-Generator-cum-Brake Vans equipped with Divyang-friendly facilities.
Shalimar-Khurda Road-Shalimar Puja Special
Train No. 08043 Shalimar-Khurda Road Puja Special will operate every Monday from October 12 to November 9, 2026. Its return service, Train No. 08044 Khurda Road-Shalimar Puja Special, will run every Tuesday from October 13 to November 10.
Train No. 08043 will depart Shalimar at 5:55 pm and reach Khurda Road at 2:45 am the next day. In the return direction, Train No. 08044 will leave Khurda Road at 6:45 am and arrive at Shalimar at 3 pm.
The service will have stoppages at Santragachi, Kharagpur, Baleshwar, Rupsa Junction, Bhadrak, Jajpur Keonjhar Road, Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.
The train will comprise 22 ICF coaches, including two AC 2-Tier coaches, six AC 3-Tier coaches, eight Sleeper Class coaches, four General coaches and two Luggage-cum-Generator-cum-Brake Vans with Divyang-friendly facilities.
Passengers have been advised to check the National Train Enquiry System (NTES) or official railway enquiry services for updated train timings and other information before undertaking their journey.
