Smooth run: Children play on site as railway tracks connecting Digha with Tamluk are laid. File picture

Calcutta, June 11: Tourists wishing to take a train to Digha can now board a local at Santragachhi, near Howrah.

The train will leave Santragachhi at 6.15 pm and reach the sea resort in four hours, covering 170 km. The down train will leave Digha at 5.15 am. It will run from Monday to Saturday.

The fare will be as low as Rs 30 but the seats will be comfortable, a South Eastern Railway official said today. The service started yesterday.

Between Santragachhi, about 15 km from Howrah, and Digha, there will be 17 stops. The first will be at Mecheda.

“The train was earlier operating between Mecheda and Digha but now it has been extended to Santragachhi,” the official said.

After the foundation stone was laid in 1984, the 57-km Tamluk-Contai section was opened for passenger traffic on November 20, 2003, by then railway minister Nitish Kumar. On December 30, 2004, railway minister Laloo Prasad Yadav formally declared the Contai-Digha 32-km stretch operational. The Howrah-Tamluk line already existed.

At present, Calcuttans wishing to take a train to Digha can board an express from Shalimar.

The train leaves Shalimar, about 10 km from Howrah, at 7.45 am and has three halts ? Mecheda, Tamluk and Contai. The corresponding train from Digha starts at 2.30 pm. “The train received a good response from tourists and on weekends, 600 passengers on an average avail it,” the official said.

“There was a demand from daily passengers to start a local train service between Santragachhi and Mecheda since there is no other train on this route,” the official said.

The high-speed train ? with a maximum speed of 100 km per hour ? has comfortable seats and since it is a local, the fare is lesser than the express.

Railway authorities are expecting sizeable goods traffic from Digha. “Fish and betel leaves can be transported to Calcutta,” an official said. Depending on the supply, it would be decided whether a separate goods rake would be run.

In future, the railway authorities are planning to introduce additional passenger trains. “If the number of passengers increase, we will start additional trains,” the official said.

According to officials, the new station building at Digha has been renovated. “We have made arrangements for tourists at the building, including a waiting room,” said an official.