Durga Puja & Dussehra 2026 train ticket booking date — opens this August
Durga Puja main days are 16–20 October 2026 (Vijayadashami 20 Oct). Train booking opens 60 days before — mid-to-late August 2026. Exact opening dates, the Aadhaar rule, and how to get confirmed Kolkata-bound tickets.
We'll ping you the morning Durga Puja / Dussehrabooking opens on IRCTC, so you're logged in before seats vanish. No signup.
Set my free reminderIf you're travelling home for Durga Puja or Dussehra, booking opens this August — and for Kolkata-bound trains it's one of the most competitive windows of the year. This is the first big festival rush of the season, before Diwali and Chhath.
The rule is simple: booking opens 60 days before your journey, at 8:00 AM IST. Miss that morning and confirmed berths are gone.
⚠️ First: Aadhaar-verify your IRCTC account (2026 rule)
From 12 January 2026, on a train's booking-opening day only Aadhaar-authenticated IRCTC accounts can book reserved tickets online — from 8:00 AM to midnight. Non-verified accounts wait until the next day, by which time Puja trains are full.
- No extra charge, no separate quota — the edge is purely timing on the opening morning.
- Applies on the IRCTC website and Rail Connect app.
- Action: verify now — IRCTC → My Account → Authenticate User / link Aadhaar.
Durga Puja & Dussehra 2026 train ticket opening date
Quick answer: Vijayadashami (Dussehra) 2026 is Tuesday, 20 October; Durga Puja main days are 16–20 October. Train booking for the main days opens in mid-to-late August 2026 (60 days before, 8:00 AM IST). For a Vijayadashami-day journey, booking opens Friday, 21 August 2026. Most people travel a few days earlier — see your exact date below.
Durga Puja / Dussehra 2026 schedule:
- Maha Shashti — Friday, 16 October 2026
- Maha Saptami — Saturday, 17 October 2026
- Maha Ashtami — Sunday, 18 October 2026
- Maha Navami — Monday, 19 October 2026
- Vijayadashami (Dussehra) — Tuesday, 20 October 2026
Peak travel window: 14–22 October (reaching home before the Puja, returning after Dashami).
Booking opens 60 days before your journey, at 8:00 AM IST:
| Journey day | Booking opens (8:00 IST) |
|---|---|
| Wednesday, 14 Oct 2026 | Saturday, 15 Aug 2026 |
| Thursday, 15 Oct 2026 | Sunday, 16 Aug 2026 |
| Friday, 16 Oct 2026 (Shashti) | Monday, 17 Aug 2026 |
| Saturday, 17 Oct 2026 (Saptami) | Tuesday, 18 Aug 2026 |
| Sunday, 18 Oct 2026 (Ashtami) | Wednesday, 19 Aug 2026 |
| Monday, 19 Oct 2026 (Navami) | Thursday, 20 Aug 2026 |
| Tuesday, 20 Oct 2026 (Vijayadashami) | Friday, 21 Aug 2026 |
| Wednesday, 21 Oct 2026 (return) | Saturday, 22 Aug 2026 |
| Thursday, 22 Oct 2026 (return) | Sunday, 23 Aug 2026 |
Booking is only weeks away. The earliest journeys open on 15 August 2026. Set your exact date and a free reminder now so you're at IRCTC the moment it opens.
The Puja trains that sell out first
For West Bengal especially, confirmed berths vanish in seconds. Have your journey planned before booking opens:
- Rajdhani / Duronto / Sampark Kranti to Howrah and Sealdah (12301/12302, 12259/12260, 12313/12314)
- Gitanjali, Coromandel, Falaknuma, East Coast, Purushottam and other Howrah/Sealdah trunk trains
- Trains to Malda, Siliguri (NJP), Durgapur, Asansol and North Bengal
- Durga Puja Special / Puja Special trains — Railways announces these ~3–4 weeks before; watch for them, they often have seats when regular trains are full.
Miss the confirmed window? Your options
- Tatkal — opens 1 day before departure (10:00 AM AC / 11:00 AM Sleeper). Tatkal timing guide.
- Waitlist — Puja WL clears poorly; don't rely on it. Waitlist types explained.
- Puja Special trains — often the best backup when trunk trains are full.
Booking-morning checklist
- 7:50 AM — open IRCTC, log in (Aadhaar-verified).
- 7:55 AM — pre-load the search with your date and route.
- 7:59 AM — refresh, finger on "Book Now".
- Use a saved Master List so passenger details auto-fill. Master List guide.
The first journeys open on 15 August — set your date and a free reminder now, and we'll ping you the morning booking opens.