In a historic moment, Union Minister of Railways, Communications, Electronics and Information Technology Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, inaugurated the new Balurghat and Sealdah Express through video conferencing from New Delhi aiming to augment rail connectivity in North Bengal.
More Details:
Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Railways, Communications, Electronics and Information Technology flagged off a new daily express train between Balurghat and Sealdah through video conferencing from New Delhi. This new train will foster the socio-economic development of the service area.
It will further boost the railway connectivity of the South Dinajpur district with its state capital, Kolkata. The Railway Minister termed this new service as a ”New Year gift” for the people of the state especially North Bengal districts.
In his inaugural speech, the Railway Minister emphasised the vision of our Hon’ble PM to develop the state of West Bengal and mentioned about allocating funds of Rs. 11,970 Cr during the current year for various projects.
Under the Amrit Bharat Station development scheme, 98 stations of West Bengal including 26 stations of North Bengal were to be converted to World Class Stations. Balurghat railway station is also included for development under this scheme.
The Railway Minister also mentioned that Rs. 633 Cr. is also to be invested for the new railway line project between Balurghat and Hilli station. He also mentioned about massive up gradation of various passenger amenities by addition of Foot Over Bridges, Lifts, Escalators etc. in various stations of the state.
- Dr. Sukanta Kumar Majumdar, Hon’ble Member of Parliament of Lok Sabha from Balurghat along with other senior officials from Railways was present at Balurghat station. Dr. Ashok Kr. Lahiri, MLA of Balurghat and the General Manager of NFR, Shri Chetan Kr. Shrivastava joined the program through video conferencing.
Brief about Train:
- The newly introduced train no. 13189/13190 Sealdah – Balurghat – Sealdah express will leave Balurghat at 07-00 PM to reach Sealdah at 04-20 AM next morning.
- During the return journey it will leave from Sealdah at 10-30 PM to reach Balurghat at 08-30 AM next morning.
- The train will stop at 13 stations enroute viz. Rampur Bazar, Gangarampur, Buniadpur, Gazole, Eklakhi, Malda Town, New Farakka, Jangipur Road, Azimganj, Katwa, Nabadwip Dham, Bandel and Naihati stations to reach Sealdah.
- The regular service from Sealdah will start on 2nd January and from Balurghat on 3rd January, 2024, respectively.
- The train will run with modern LHB coaches to enhance the safety and comfort of the journey of passengers.
- The regular run of this train (13189 Up/13190 Dn) will commence w.e.f. Sealdah station from January 2, 2024. In the opposite direction, 13190 Balurghat – Sealdah Express will leave Balurghat station w.e.f January 3, 2024.
- This train will have AC 2-tier, AC 3-tier, AC 3-tier Economy, First AC, Sleeper Class, and General Second Class accommodations.
In this inaugural run, colourful programs have been organised at various nominated stations enroute wherein Shri Khagen Murmu, Member of Parliament, Smt. Sreerupa Mitra Choudhury, Member of the Legislative Assembly and Shri Gopal Chandra Saha, Member of the Legislative Assembly were present on the occasion and received the train at Malda Town station. In addition to this, Shri Saumitra Khan, Hon’ble Member of Parliament will grace the receiving programme at Sealdah Station on arrival of inaugural Balurghat – Sealdah Express at Sealdah.
The launch of the new Balurghat – Sealdah Express is not just a transportation milestone but a significant catalyst for North Bengal’s progress. It reflects the government’s commitment to enhancing connectivity and fostering development in the region.The new train symbolises a promising start to the year, promising improved socio-economic ties and opportunities for the people of North Bengal.
Source: Eastern Railway- Press Release | Images Credit: Eastern Railway
