Eastern Railway’s Sealdah division will introduce its first fully air-conditioned EMU train on August 10, with the inaugural run scheduled between Sealdah and Ranaghat.
The 12-coach rake, equipped with end-to-end vestibule connections, will be flagged off by Union ministers of state Sukanta Majumdar and Shantanu Thakur.
The commercial service will begin from Ranaghat on Monday. The train will halt at Chakdah, Kalyani, Kanchrapara, Naihati, Barrackpore, Khardah, Sodepur, Dumdum and Bidhannagar stations.
The new rake will operate on the Sealdah-Ranaghat section, which carries lakhs of commuters daily.
Eastern Railway officials said the section was chosen for its high passenger volume and connectivity across major suburban hubs.
The train has a top speed of 110 km/hour. Minimum single-journey fare is Rs 29 for the first 10 km, while monthly passes start at Rs 590.
Kolkata’s suburban network saw the arrival of its first AC local train in the Sealdah division in June.
Some commuters had welcomed the move, but questioned whether one train could address overcrowding.
“I welcome the AC trains. But let’s be honest, most of us still won’t get a seat," Prabir Dutta, a daily commuter from Barrackpore told The Telegraph Online in June. “You can’t fix crowding with just one air-conditioned train.”
Sucharita Paul, a school teacher who travels from Kalyani to Sealdah, said: “There are days when I don’t even get space to stand properly. In those moments, I’d trade AC for punctuality and more coaches.”
