New station flag-off - Amenities added

The Calcutta terminal at Chitpur. A Telegraph picture

Long-distance trains will start operating from the new Calcutta station, in Chitpur, from Monday.

The services will kick off with three trains ? the Sealdah-Delhi Lal Quila Express, Howrah-Gorakhpur Purbanchal Express and the Lalgola Passenger.

Plans to operate the Sealdah-Malda Gour Express from the station has been put on hold, following agitations by residents of Malda. Officials, however, attributed the decision to ?technical reasons?.

?Over a period of time, 25 pairs of long-distance trains will run from the new terminal,? Shyam Kumar, Eastern Railway general manager, said on Sunday.

To ensure smooth dispersal of passengers, taxi and autorickshaw stands have been set up near the terminal.

?The state transport department has assured us that bus services will start from Tuesday,? he added. Some bus routes ending at Shyambazar will be extended to the terminal.

The general manager also announced that the timings of the Circular Railway will be extended ? the trains will operate from 4 am to 10 pm, instead of from 8 am to 8 pm.

To ensure faster movement of trains leaving Chitpur terminal, the Jubilee Bridge on the Hooghly, in the Bandel-Naihati section, will be discarded and a new bridge built. The present bridge has a single pair of tracks, allowing restricted movement of trains.

Kumar said three more floors would be added to the two-storeyed terminal building. These will house food courts, malls and offices of various service providers. The terminal has five platforms, each accommodating 24 coaches.