Calcutta, Sept. 4: Duronto Express will no longer be a non-stop train allegedly because of pressure from politicians.

Twenty-three Duronto trains, including the six from Calcutta, connecting the city with cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore, will have several stops in between from January, Railway Board officials said.

"The decision has been taken because of demands from passengers of areas where the Duronto trains don't stop," a railway ministry official said from Delhi. "We are planning to implement it from January," he said.

Railway sources said the decision was taken because of political pressure from MPs across the country who want the trains to stop at a station in their constituencies.

"Several MPs from different parties are making demands that the Duronto trains must have commercial stoppages in between the two connecting cities. Finally, the ministry yielded to the pressure," a railway ministry official said.

Bidyut Baran Mahato, the BJP Lok Sabha member from Jamshedpur, said he had demanded in Parliament that the Duronto stop at Tatanagar station a number of times.

"I met railway minister Suresh Prabhu and told him Tatanagar is an important station and many youths go to Mumbai and Pune to study. So, they should be allowed to avail themselves of the Duronto," Mahato said from Jamshedpur. "Trains stop here for 10 to 15 minutes and they need not detain the Duronto more than that," he said.

Mahato said the minister had called senior officials, discussed the issue and promised to consider it.

By the end of August, the ministry sent out directives to all its divisions about adding stoppages to 23 Duronto trains.

The operational stations of the Duronto trains will now be converted into commercial stoppages. Operational stoppage is a station where the train stops for cleaning, refilling of potable water and maintenance. But no passenger is allowed to board or get off the train at those stations, officials said.

However, in a commercial stoppage, passengers can board a train.

"Duronto trains have 5 to 10 per cent empty seats because of the point-to-point connectivity. The trains will go full once the new system is implemented," said an official.

Duronto was launched in 2009 when Mamata Banerjee was the railway minister. She had described the Duronto in her budget speech as a non-stop point-to-point connectivity service between select cities throughout the country.

The Sealdah-Delhi Duronto takes 16 hours to reach New Delhi from Calcutta as against 17 hours taken by the Rajdhani.