44 Trains from (HWH)HOWRAH JN to (DDU)PT DEEN DAYAL UPADHYAY JN

N.F. Railway is progressing at full throttle for achieving the Indian Railways target of becoming Net Zero Carbon Emitter by 2030. In an endeavour for complete electrification, N.F. Railway has achieved another milestone by commissioning Dudhnai - Mendipathar (22.823 Track Kilometre) single line section and Abhayapuri – Pancharatna (34.59 Track Kilometre) double line section o­n 15^th March, 2023. The Central Organization for Railway Electrification (CORE) has carried out the electrification works in these sections.

 Mendipathar is the o­nly railway station in the north-eastern state of Meghalaya which is in operation since 2014 after being inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India. After commissioning of electric traction, trains hauled by electric locomotive will now be able to operate directly from Mendipathar in Meghalaya which will increase the average speed. More passenger & freight carrying trains will be able to operate through these sections with full sectional speeds. Punctuality will also increase in this section. Parcel & freight carrying trains hauled by electric locomotives from other states will be able to reach Meghalaya directly.

Electrification will significantly improve the mobility of trains in Northeast India.  In addition to the reduction in pollution due to the shift from fossil fuel to electricity, the efficiency of the Railway system in the region will also improve. This would facilitate seamless traffic and also save time of the trains moving to and from northeastern states apart from savings in precious foreign exchange.

For development of Railway stations, the Railway Ministry has formulated up gradation/modernization plans of stations o­n Indian Railways under various developmental schemes. Among the 204 stations identified, New Jalpaiguri station under N. F. Railway has also been identified to be upgraded with world class features for providing better, additional and enhanced passenger amenities. Works for the up-gradation work have already been started. Demolishing work of the old structures including front retail areas and offices etc. in main station building have been started to get the site ready for commencing civil construction works as planned.

The foundation work of the Arrival 1 terminal is going o­n in full swing. The work for Arrival 2 & departure terminal will start soon. UTS cum PRS counters have been shifted to a new location at Ramnagar Colony Road near the Rest House of Railway Electrification. As the up gradation work progresses, the existing parking area, parcel and RMS offices will also be shifted to new locations soon.

The station will have ultra-modern amenities like large covered parking area, 24X7 power backup, drinking water, air-conditioned lobby, offices, shops, high speed escalator, lift, Air concourse, hotels etc. to provide passengers the airport-like feel & comfort at the same time. There will be complete segregation between arriving and departing passengers. After completion of the up gradation work, the station will be ready to handle passenger footfall of more than seventy thousand per day from thirty six thousand per day at present. The approximate estimated cost of the entire work of up grading the New Jalpaiguri station will be Rs. 334.72 crore.

New Jalpaiguri station is o­ne of the largest as well as busiest railway stations of N.F. Railway, which serves as a crucial point for all the North-eastern states. Up gradation of New Jalpaiguri station will further help in boosting various sectors of local economy including travel, tourism etc in North Bengal as well as Sikkim. The project of up gradation is targeted to be completed by 2025.