The Howrah-Barbil Jan Shatabdi Express will stop at Ghatshila railway station from March 10 onwards, the railways have decided, fulfilling a longstanding demand of regular commuters.

Officials at Garden Reach, headquarters of Calcutta-based South Eastern Railway, said the train (numbers 12021/12022) would stop for two minutes at Ghatshila from March 10 on an experimental basis for a period of six months to begin with.

"This decision was taken keeping in mind passenger convenience. Currently, Howrah-Tata Steel Superfast Express and Howrah-Titlagarh Ispat Express halt at Ghatshila. The Howrah-Barbil Jan Shatabdi Express only stops at Kharagpur between Howrah and Tatanagar. From March 10, it will also stop at Ghatshila," an SER spokesperson said.

Officials at the office of the chief passenger transportation manager at Garden Reach said the Barbil-bound Jan Shatabdi would reach Ghatshila at 9.13am. On its return journey, the train will arrive at Ghatshila at 5.41pm.

Arun Tiwary, a senior functionary of Chhotanagpur Passenger Association, also welcomed the move. "It's a passenger-friendly decision to help numerous railway passengers travelling from Ghatshila to Jamshedpur, Chaibasa and Barbil," he said. Vice-president of Singhbhum Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vijay Anand Moonka, who also heads the trade body's railway committee, added it was their longstanding demand. "Jamshedpur MP Bidyut Baran Mahto also put in lot of effort for this," Moonka said.