South Dinajpur Cheers New Direct Train to Calcutta in New Year Bonanza

On New Year's Day, citizens of South Dinajpur, a district bordering Bangladesh, boarded the first direct train to Calcutta.

To the delight of the locals, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw essentially kicked off the Balurghat-Sealdah Express from Delhi on Monday. At the Balurghat railway station, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) senior officials and a few other elected representatives were present, including the local MP, Sukanta Majumdar.

Starting on Tuesday, the train will operate seven days a week using LHB coaches. According to NFR sources, it will make stops at 13 stations en route.

Vaishnaw announced on Monday that 98 stations in Bengal, including 26 in north Bengal, would be developed into world-class stations as part of the Amrit Bharat station development scheme.

The scheme has also included the Balurghat station. The project to build a new railway line between the stations of Balurghat and Hili will cost a total of Rs 633 crore. The railway minister stated that improvements to passenger amenities, such as more foot overbridges, elevators, and escalators, are currently being made in a number of stations throughout the state.

Hili lies near the border between Bangladesh and India. A rail line connects Hili, a station in the neighboring country, with the Dinajpur district on the Bangladeshi side.

The locals' expectations have been fulfilled by the Narendra Modi administration. The local MP, Majumdar, stated, "We think more trains would be introduced in due course. Infrastructure development is in progress at Balurghat station."

Many observers interpret the decision to implement a direct train to Calcutta from the district—a long-standing demand of the people of South Dinajpur—as an attempt by the saffron camp to hold onto its support for the Lok Sabha elections.

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