Post COVID, even SER stopped some intra-bengal trains like Adra RajyaRani, PRR Laalmaati or some trains between KGP - JGM - PRR like Olchiki Express, Birsa Munda Express etc.

No other Railway Zone / State has seen such a drastic reduction in train services post-COVID like ER and Bengal. This is a deliberate attempt to burden passengers to/from Bengal or even those traveling within Bengal. All other states/zones have seen new trains mushrooming up pre and post COVID, with almost all trains restored (even Bandra NZM Yuva is still running till this...
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day, but HWH ANVT Yuva is lying idle at the Vande Bharat maintenance yard of HWH).

Because of this, trains from Bengal to rest of India are fully occupied with huge WLs, and moreover from the stations in between the journey passengers illegally enter into reserved coaches and make them into General/local train like situation (one/two states in particular, no prizes for guessing which). Even in terms of new premium trains like Vande Bharat or others, HWH/Bengal received too few services compared to other states despite high occupancy (ZERO Tejas trains, ZERO Double Decker/UDAY trains - let's not forget). Bengal got one or two trains only prior to some election season (for vote purpose only), and then everyone forgets this state with 4 Railway Zones (considering Kolkata Metro too).

So many VBs were discussed - HWH BSB VB, HWH BGP VB, so many demands came in newspapers from all over the country - be it reintroduction of train services from SGNR/Bathinda to HWH, or overnight superfast service between GHY and HWH/KOAA, long demanded Naharlagun service among many others..., and why just Kolkata - other places across Bengal whether under ER, NFR or SER... critical train connections from places like NJP, Balurghat, Maldah, Rampurhat, Asansol-Durgapur, Purulia, Bankura, KGP, Haldia... to other destinations across the country (Haldia Chennai Sangrami Express also hasn't made a comeback yet, did we forget?). None of the demands or promises or proposals have been fulfilled.

And people may have long forgotten... entire Uttar Dinajpur district lost its only interstate long-distance express connectivity after Seemanchal became LHB, leading to termination of RDP - Delhi Slip Service... have any new services been introduced in lieu of that? Even at least a weekly service? Nothing!

Not to forget, entire Kolkata suburban local EMU network has seen ZERO upgradation or new trains in last several years together... even though ridership increases every year with increase in population and demand, no new service or new routes. That one Nasipur Bridge has been completed ages ago, they're still not done completing trial runs, let alone introduction of any new services. Districts like Nadia, Berhampore/Murshidabad along with Birbhum, Malda, both Dinajpurs, Purulia, Jhargram, Bankura continue to suffer even to this day.

Understand Railways' bias against Bengal with a simple example:
When TATA/DHN - Alleppey Express became LHB, Railways eliminated slip services and introduced two SEPARATE DAILY trains 18189/90 and 13351/52. (Railways still could not introduce a long pending demand of a daily Bengal - Kerala train, given so many lakhs of Bengalees working in Kerala and travelling to Kerala everyday, but NO... TWO DAILY TRAINS from JHARKHAND was of paramount importance!)... anyways... But when it came to HWH - JU/BKN Express, instead of daily service JU bound service got reduced to 4 days and BKN bound service got reduced to 3 days. Why this discrimination? Let's see what they do to the overnight Chakradharpur/Bokaro Slip train service, used by daily passengers. For starters, they have already made it difficult for most passengers to board/deboard the train in the middle of the night by truncating the origin/terminating station to SRC. Pathetic!

Then they wonder why they got reduced from 18 seats to 12 seats in Lok Sabha... this is not in support of any other party, but a direct reflection of As You Sow, So You Reap... Jemon Kormo, Temni Phol...

Let's also see what more apathy they have in store left for Bengal passengers when two more very popular trains (one from ER, other from SER) with slip coaches are converted to LHB - 12311/12 Netaji Exp (Kalka Mail) and 18047/48 Amravati Exp...

If any Rail Enthusiast from Maldah (or elsewhere too) may be kind enough to respond... Maldah is among one of Bengal's Top 5 cities (apart from the state capital), and tens of thousands of people travel to and from Maldah and its adjoining stations by train every day. Malda is also the nodal median point connecting North and South Bengal. Very important city/region for trade and tourism. It's really sad that the city's Railway Infrastructure & Services have not seen much upgrade since the time of Gani Khan Chowdhry.

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it's time Maldah's significance on the country's Railway Map was pumped up? And why all the load/pressure on MLDT? Why are stations within the city's vicnity like Old Malda and Malda Court not beig upgraded into mini-terminal stations with SM capacities? That's why my query, particular to those from Maldah region:

1. Is it possible to carve out separate Railway Zones for Maldah and Bhagalpur, so that Malda can have more independence and flexibility, and Bhagalpur can look after itself and those other neighbouring BR/JH towns?

2. Is it possible to build more platforms (and perhaps rebuild the stations) at Old Malda and Malda Court? Maybe Old Malda can be upgraded to at least 5 platforms - with ample sidelines for Freight/Goods trains, and upto 3 platforms for Malda Court? Lot of empty space adjacent to both of these stations, right? And after these expansions (maybe under Amrit Bharat scheme), trains not based out of MLDT base can be terminated at either of these two stations - to free up MLDT.

3. Is it possible to build a branch line near Banshata P area connecting MLDT and Malda Court, so that there can be train connectivity between both sides of Malda city across Mahananda River? Also, MLDT - Eklakhi Jn.... Third line possible?

4. With these above infrastructure in place, why not make MLDT into a full fledged terminal (with its own CDO base), with new fresh set of SF trains to NDLS, Mumbai, MAS/SMVT, SC/HYB, Udhna/Gujarat, Kerala (most critical need of the hour) and perhaps some other points of North India like a JP or a ASR or a HW/YNRK or a or a JAT/SVDK? You know, like more Pan-India connectivity, so as to ultimately reduce pressure on other Terminals in Kolkata or Bhagalpur or even Katihar/NJP? Plus some additional MEMUs to nearby towns including upto say Berhampore or Krishnanagar or NJP or BLGT or maybe an Intercity/MEMU Express to DGR/ASN... So that you can create a Hub & Spoke Model with MLDT at the centre!

How long will districts like Maldah, the 2 Dinajpurs, Birbhum and Murshidabad continue to burden trains to/from the North East and HWH? It's not possible to build mega terminals at all these points/districts, but MLDT at the epicentre and a Hub & Spoke Model would be sufficient to reduce pressure extensively to all trains passing through the entire Eastern India! Couldn't this prove to be a Win-Win situation for both Railways (ER) and the commuters/passengers of this region?

Thank you for your invaluable time.

1. It is not possible to carve out railway zones...

- But you can always see on several Railway forums (including this one) how Bihar people have been demanding for separate Bhagalpur Divn/Zone for a very long time. Over and above, with the rise of a certain DubeyJi in that region - that part is getting much more new trains (from Godda, Hansdiha, Deoghar, Dumka, Banka - some of these parts are again of ASN Divn, and of course BGP itself) within Malda Divn than Malda Town itself! So when Railway budget...
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allocates certain amount of budget for new trains and new stations/facilities for Malda division, ironically very little to nothing actually happens on ground for MLDT and other stations in Bengal within Malda Divn.

- Hence my query. Tomorrow, that DubeyJi himself may end up asking for a separate Divn, cutting out of both Malda and ASN Divns... who'll stop him? Isn't MLDT and Bengal stations like New Farakka and others continuing to suffer because of this arrangement and the arm-twisting of BJP/NDA MPs from neighboruing BR/JH?


2. Old Malda Jn is not used by people very much since both stations lie in the same route . Malda court's line is a near Bangladesh border, so Malda Town is the main station with being closer to the main city itself.

- My suggestion for Old Malda and MLFC was just so that MLDT could be decongested. For example, say for trains like Gour or 13011/12 Intercity or New Delhi Express, these originate and terminate at MLDT, and consume a lot of time on MLDT platforms, not to mention they take off space at MLDT maintenance yard for Secondary Maintenance (SM). If these are extended to Old Malda (or Court) then MLDT can be freed up. They'll just arrive and depart from MLDT en route and half for 10-15 mins max in the station for convenience of MLDT passengers.

- Anyways Old Malda and MLFC have few passengers and DMUs to/from KIR and SGUJ/NJP, so if capacity of those two stations are increased, these two can become secondary terminals for MLDT (like most big cities in the country today with multiple terminals). It's about creating the necessary infrastructure to support passengers/commuters load with at least 20-25 years planning (something us Bengalees are utterly poor in... we NEVER EVER think about Future).


3. Not possible as a new bridge should be constructed at Mahananda River & it will pass parallel to NH 12...

- I am not even suggesting new bridge on Mahananda (except 3rd line), it's after the Mahananda river, before the tracks from MLDT join single line track from Malda Court - towards Old Malda, there is a lot of open green space (probably Mango Orchard/Farm area) - it's uninhabited... hence asking about the possibility of a single track line connecting lines coming from MLDT and line towards MLFC.


4 Gani khan Chowdhury never wanted that a full fledged terminal will be made like Howrah...solved a major connectivity problem...

- Gani Khan sir left us two decades ago. The world has changed much beyond what it was then. What was Kolkata's population when he was the Railway Minister 40 years ago, is probably Malda district's population today (in fact much more)! That is why I suggested for Hub and Spoke Model - something practised in Bihar if you would be keen to observe. Look at the number of inter-state terminals just North Bihar has... Darbhanga, Barauni, Muzaffarpur, Katihar, Jaynagar, Sitamarhi, Saharsa, Raxaul, Chhapra... the list is endless. Does everyone in North Bihar travel to Patna for taking a train to any part of the country? Very Rare! All these destinations mentioned above is connected to more or less all across the length and breadth of the country (there are many small ones too - not possible to count them all!)

- Similarly if we have Malda as a gateway to all the central Bengal districts, it would be convenient for everyone from Balurghat to Berhampore. for that we would need good network of MEMU trains connecting all these stations to MLDT. For example If one needs to travel from Murshidabad to Kerala (there are lakhs of people from this district working in Kerala alone!), wouldn't it be better if a train from MLDT was available, which would halt at New Farakka or Khagraghat Road or AZ itself - which could be easily accessible for anyone across Murshidabad district, rather than travelling to Howrah/Sealdah, again take a bus to Shalimar/Santragachhi for a south bound train (not even daily service available to Kerala from Kolkata)? How long do commuters and passengers from these districts continue to suffer? Doesn't HWH/SDAH trains have enough load already from South Bengal districts?

- No offence, but this is why Biharis are smarter than Bengalees, they make their demands heard, and get it on ground by hook or crook. On the other hand, Bengalees will continue to cry "Kendrer Lanchhona/Bonchona" Nyaka-Kanna for the rest of their lives...


5. If terminal station is made at Malda then nearby area will be South Dinajpur only & only upper part of Murshidabad be benefitted as top cities like Baharampur, Balurghat, Raiganj etc...

- That is exactly why I mentioned the need for a strong MEMU connectivity to Malda Town! So that almost all corners of Malda district, Murshidabad district, parts of Birbhum and Dakhsin Dinajpur districts all get a quick MEMU/Passenger/Intercity connectivity to/from MLDT atleast every 1-2 Hrs, with Triple line and speed upgradations underway, the target is to get anyone and everyone living within 3 Hrs of MLDT. Also If the train halts at New Farakka or Azimganj, no need for Murshidabad or Birbhum district people to travel all the way to MLDT itself! Please learn about the concept of "Hub & Spoke Model" in Transportation - I am not mad for repeating this one term n no. of times...

- Please understand one thing, noone in their right minds wants to visit a congested dirty humid and hot city like Kolkata, unless and until it is extremely necessary. If in some way, Kolkata/Howrah can be bypassed, what can be better than that? If one person from Malda/Murshidabad wants to travel to Bangalore or Chennai or Mumbai or Kerala or Gujarat, why the hell should they waste an entire day in Kolkata (the city which failed them devastatingly - whether be it because of jobs or education or healthcare - failure everywhere!) rather than utilizing that time to reach their destination of better opportunity in South/West/North India quicker?

Thank you... appreciate your prompt response.

Can we please consider couple of more factors here - so that your proposal can be integrated well with other trains and regions?

1. All major long distance trains have already gone LHB, rest whichever are left will become LHB soon. But making LHB also means doing away with Slip-Coaches/Services, We no longer have Slip Trains/ Link Trains under LHB Era (which was possible during ICF Era).
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2. Now why I am raising this point? This is for one critical train from WB which still uses Slip Coach service, as long as it still has its ICF Rakes - 12311/12 Netaji Express (erstwhile HWH Kalka Mail) , but very soon this train too would have to face the hammer of LHB-fication. That time no Slip coach attachment/detachment will be possible.

3. Let us look at 12311/12s coach composition - out of its 24 coaches (aside from the HCP), only 13 coaches are allowed to go till KLK beyond CDG. (KLK does not have the capacity to handle more than 18 coaches - that's why KLK's longest trains currently now are 12011/12 and 12005/06 Shatabdi express trains with 18 coaches each - including EOGs). Out of those 13 coaches of 12311/12, we have CC of 1st AC cum AC 2 Tier - 01, AC 2 Tier - 02, AC 3 Tier - 03, Sleeper - 05, General - 01, SLR - 01. Remaining coaches with combination of AC 2 Tier, AC 3 Tier, Sleepers and General compartments are attached/detached at CDG - because we have a significant movement of commuters from WB/JH/Bihar to Chandigarh/Haryana/Punjab and vice versa.

4. Now, if say 12311/12 is made into an LHB Train - granted it will mostly comprise of AC Coaches - at least one 1st AC, 2-3 AC 2 Tiers, rest all AC 3 Tiers and 3 Tier Economy coaches. Even if we say that complete end-to-end 12311/12 will be a single rake with no Slips, at max will get 18 coaches - there will be little to no room for Sleepers and General compartments. So where do the thousands of people travelling from WB/JH/Bihar to Delhi/Haryana/Chandigarh and back go - how to solve their commuting crisis?

5. Hence my suggestion - sorry it's such a long detailly explained one - is that let 12311/12 become a fully AC Superfast train, connecting HWH-DLI-CDG-KLK, and meanwhile to cater to passengers of Non AC Classes - let us have 12329/30 WBSK Running 5 DAYS a Week (instead of Weekly - West Bengal probably the only state in India with just a Weekly SK!). Once 12329 reaches DLI around 9 am in the morning, it has ample time and slot to be extended to CDG (long before other CDG-bound Maharashtra trains all coming around 10.30/11am). Similarly in return direction, 12330 can start from CDG after the VB Gang from CDG (around 15:45/50) and reach DLI around 8/8:15 pm, and leave for SDAH. Many states in India (Goa, KA, KL) have SK Trains to CDG, no reason why WB cannot follow the same.

6. This train can have ample no. of Sleepers and General Compartments, so as to cater to the poor/those who cannot afford to reach Delhi/Chandigarh and back quickly in Premium Trains. Now why 5 days (and NOT DAILY) - is so that rest 2 days, instead of West Bengal Sampark Kranti Express, we can have a new NBSK - North Bengal Sampark Kranti Express starting from either NJP or NCB. Follow same route between CDG and DDU, then NBSK can take the PPTA route - shortest route out. We can also figure out / think about possibilities of route of NBSK via Malda, then we would need to avoid PNBE. But Noone in their right minds would travel from North Bengal to Delhi or back via Asansol-Durgapur - it would be HUGE WASTE of Precious Time!

Now these trains can be run either by a combination of ER (5 days) and NFR (2 days), or better still, be completely taken over by NR - why not many NR trains to WB? But whether Railway Board would be interested on taking this to table - only God knows! Would love to know your thoughts on this.

Thank you for your invaluable time, patience and replies.