The railway ministry has approved the doubling of tracks between New Jalpaiguri and Siliguri Junction stations to boost train movement along two parallel routes in north Bengal.
Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has sent a letter to chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, saying a decision has been made to lay a second track along the 7.15km-long route between the two important stations in Siliguri.
As of now, the route has only one track, along which the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway’s line passes between the two stations. The Siliguri Town station is located in the middle of the 7.15km-long route.
Every day, many long-distance trains run between New Jalpaiguri and Siliguri Junction stations. From Siliguri Junction, tracks move via the Dooars in the north direction and reach Alipurduar Town. Southwards, another route runs through Bagdogra and Naxalbari to reach Aluabari Road, which is on the principal track that connects north Bengal and the Northeast with the rest of
the country.
“Doubling of the New Jalpaiguri-Siliguri Junction stretch will help in faster movement of trains,” said a railway official.
In another letter, Vaishnaw said his ministry had approved the final location survey for preparation of a detailed project report (DPR) for the third line along the 107km-long stretch between Adra and Salboni.
Also, in a third letter to Adhikari, the railway minister has announced the introduction of an express train between Kolkata and Jaipur. The train will run between Santragachi and Khatipura.