INDIA’S Eastern Railway began transferring some long-distance services from Howrah and Sealdah to a new Kolkata station on February 20.
Designed to relieve pressure on the existing stations, the Rs900m Kolkata terminal is sited on a former freight yard at Chitpore where the foundation stone was laid on May 15 2003. It has a 72000m2 circulating area, and five platforms able to handle up to 24 coaches, with space for two further platforms. Water and effluent treatment plants will be completed under a separate Rs100m project.
H The West Bengal government is developing plans to reconfigure Kolkata Santragachhi station to improve passenger flow. Adjacent land would be acquired to provide better links to urban transport under the Rs1bn proposals, which could be undertaken through a joint venture.
