Kolkata railway station
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22°36′6″N 88°22′59″E / 22.60167°N 88.38306°E
Template:Infobox Indian railway station
Kolkata Station (also known as Chitpur station) (In Bengali: চিতপূর ) is the newest of the four intercity train stations serving Howrah and Kolkata, India; the others are Sealdah Station, in Kolkata, Shalimar Station in Howrah and Howrah Station in Howrah. Kolkata station is situated in the Chitpur locality of north central Kolkata.
History
The place where the station is situated was formerly a large goods yard. The present car and bus parking areas, as well as the path to the station, formed part of a coal loading yard. The present-day platforms were once used as goods lines and formed part of the large Chitpur Rail Yard.
In 2000, the first plan was happened to utilise this area as a big rail station. The rapid growing long distance passengers were gradually overcrowding the Sealdah station. Due to limitation of space, new platform construction is restricted at Sealdah. Although 2 new platforms (9A & 9B) were constructed at Sealdah between 2004 & 2005, those were not sufficient. Side by side, due to its almost central position in Kolkata, Sealdah station is too much busy station for suburban rail traffic. Unlike Howrah Station, Sealdah Station has more suburban trains than long-distance trains. But many people of Kolkata feel that it is much easy to catch a long distance train from Sealdah than Howrah, particularly in early morning and late night. But for platform limitation, increasing of long distance trains were not much possible from Sealdah.
To overcome this problem, Eastern Railway suggested to Indian Railway officers to construct another big rail station at Kolkata, mostly for long distance trains. The many unutilised and not so utilised tracks of Chitpur yard was the first choice of the authority.
Construction started from 2004. At first the tracks from the coal-yard were closed. Then a large portion of electrified goods tracks were closed in 2005. Those tracks, masts & wires demolished gradually. After then, the Dumdum - Majherhat link rail line's (Kolkata Circular Railway) track was temporarily re-aligned. After these, the construction of platforms, station buildings & car parking area were started. After the completion, the circular rail tracks were aligned as before, now via the new station. Other tracks were re-aligned, and completely electrified for passenger coaches shunting (up to side of Tala station). Tracks of opposite direction, which were partly unutilised and un elctrified, now re-laid, re-aligned and fully electrified for goods trains (with wagon to lorry transfer facility). Part of former electrified goods lines, which were closed, now started using as a coach siding.
After these, the official inauguration was happened at January 2006.
Services
The station is served by the Eastern Railway for trains to Bandel, Kalyani Simanta, Gede, Shantipur, Krishnanagar, Dankuni, Kolkata Airport, Bongaon, Hasnabad and others. The number of suburban trains is lower than long-distance trains. This station runs many long distance express trains including two pairs of Garibrath Express, and one long distance passenger train - Lalgola Passenger. There are currently three platforms, among them Platform 1 is used by only suburban trains, and Platform 2 & 3 are used by long-distance trains. More two platforms are under construction. The station is operated by the Eastern Railway. The only international train of eastern India is Kolkata - Dhaka Maitree Express, which runs towards Bangladesh, is also departed from here.
The Maharaja Express departed from this station for the first time at 20 March 2010.
Mail/Express trains
1.Kolkata--Patna Garib Rath Exp.
2.Kolkata--Guwhati Garib Rath Exp.
3.Kolkata--Delhi Lal Quilla Exp.
7.Kolkata--Gorokhpur Purvanchal Exp.
9.kolkata—Gorokhpur Exp.
10.kolkata--Lalgola Hazar Duari Exp.
11.kolkata--Muzzaffarpur Trihut Exp.
12.kolkata--Darbhanga Mithilanchal Exp.
14.kolkata--Balurghat Tebhaga Exp.
15.kolkata--Haldibadi Intercity Exp.
18.kolkata--Nagore--Bikaneer Exp. (Announced)
Facilities
For passengers there are Waiting Rooms and Retiring Rooms for use by passengers awaiting connecting trains. In addition there is a taxi stand & bus stand outside the station.
The nearest tram depot is Belgachhia and nearest tram track is at Radha Gobinda Kar Road for tram route 1, 2, 4 & 11. The nearest metro station is also at Belgachhia.
Criticism
As a newer rail station, this station is not well connected by public transport. The most direct service to the station is taxi, which is not preferable by poor. Only two or three West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation's bus routes serve the station directly. Other buses and trams run through Radha Gobinda Kar Road, which is 1 km away from the station. It is often impossible to walk this 1 km with heavy luggage for a commuter. The nearest metro station is 2 km away. Due to the lack of transport link, many people avoid this station.
There is a plan to transfer the long distance bus terminus of Shyambazar from the other side of the canal to the front of the station, but nothing has yet materialized.However, there is a bus service from Kolkata station up to Sonarpur station which plies via, Shyambazar,Ultadanga,Em-bye pass, Ajoynagar up to Sonarpur.However it takes 1hr30mins from Sonarpur Stn to Kolkata station.One can also take a Auto-rickshaw from Ultadanga to Kolkata station.
See also
- Howrah Station
- Shalimar Station
- Sealdah Station
- Kolkata Suburban Railway
- Kolkata Metro Railway
- Kolkata Tramways