Howrah station
Encyclopedia
Howrah Station is one of the four intercity train station
s serving Howrah and Kolkata
, India
; the others are Sealdah Station, Shalimar Station
and Kolkata railway station
in Kolkata. Howrah is situated on the West bank of the Hooghly River, linked to Kolkata by the magnificent Howrah Bridge
which is an icon of Kolkata. It is the second-oldest station and the largest railway complex in India.
district. This was the second railway line constructed in India after the first one from Mumbai
to Thane in 1853. The line started from Howrah, then a small town on the west shore of the Hooghly River.
Initial plans for the first Howrah station were submitted by George Turnbull
the Chief Engineer of the East Indian Railway Company
on 17 June 1851. In January 1852, it became clear that the government authorities would not sanction the purchase of sufficient land nor the necessary waterfrontage despite remonstrations from Turnbull that the terminus would grow enormously. In May 1852, the detailed station plans were the major work of him and his team of engineers. In October four tenders for building the station were received varying from 190,000 to 274,526 INR against an estimate of 250,000 INR.
Due to a great increase of traffic, a new station building was proposed in 1901. The new station was designed by the British architect Halsey Ricardo
. It was brought into service on 1 December 1905. This building is the current Howrah station building. The station had 15 platform tracks.
It was expanded in the 1980s with the addition of 8 platform tracks in an area to the south of the station which previously had a parcels terminal, bringing the track count up to 23. At the same time a new Yatri Niwas (transit passenger facility) was built south of the original head house.
for local trains to Belur Math
, Tarakeswar
, Katwa
, Bandel
, Sheoraphuli
, Bardhaman
and numerous intermediate stations (see Main Line
, Chord
and Tarakeswar branch line
); and mail/express trains to Central, North and North-East India. A narrow gauge
line connects Bardhaman and Katwa and is currently served by DMU trains (all other lines run EMU trains). There is a plan to extend the suburban train service from Bardhaman to Mankar and Guskara
, by electrifying the Khana
–Guskara existing stretch, which is currently served by diesel loco hauled trains. The Bardhaman–Mankar stretch is now served by electric loco hauled trains.
The South Eastern Railway
serves local trains to Amta
, Mecheda
, Panskura
, Tamluk
, Haldia
, Kanthi, Medinipur and Kharagpur
; and mail/express trains to Central, West and South India. The Tamluk–Kanthi stretch is currently under electrification and until complete, it will be served by DMU trains (all other lines run EMU trains). There is a plan to extend the suburban train service from Kharagpur
to Jhargram
and Narayangarh
. Both stretches are now served by electric loco (EMU) hauled trains.
, the state of West Bengal
, and most major cities of India. Its twenty-three platforms handle over six hundred trains each day, serving more than a million passengers. It is served by two zones of the Indian Railways
: Eastern Railway
and South Eastern Railway
.
The station is operated by the Eastern Railway.
South Eastern Railway was previously known as the Bengal-Nagpur Railway (BNR, derisively called "Be Never Regular" because of its notorious tardiness) which built the truck route from Kolkata to Nagpur
connecting to Great Indian Peninsular (GIP) route to Mumbai and the trunk route to Vijayawada Junction
connecting with the GIP route to Chennai
. Eastern Railway was previously known as East Indian Railway (EIR) which built the trunk route from Kolkata to Delhi
and beyond.
Four of India's most important trunk rail routes end in Howrah. They are Howrah-Delhi, Howrah-Mumbai, Howrah-Chennai and Howrah-Guwahati
. Today there are 23 platforms in Howrah Junction /Central. The first Rajdhani Express
in the country ran between Howrah and New Delhi
in 1969. Eastern Railway handles trains for northern, north-western, north-eastern & eastern India through Barddhaman line & Katwa line. South Eastern Railway handles trains for southern, south-western, south-eastern, western & central India through Medinipur Line. Kanthi line is also serving long distance intrastate trains.
The Eastern Railway and South Eastern Railway section are connected by two links, one is Lilua-Tikiaparha link , and other is Rajchandrapur/Dankuni-Bankrha link , currently used by only goods trains. There are proposals to introduce passenger train service on these two links to facilitate quick travel between the two sections avoiding Howrah.
2.Howrah--Indore Shipra Exp.
3.Howrah--Gwalior Chambal Exp.
4.Howrah--Jabalpur Shaktipunj Exp.
5.Howrah--Puri Exp.
6.Howrah--Asansol--Dhanbad--Bokaro--Ranchi Intercity Exp.
7.Howrah--Ghatsila--Ranchi Intercity Exp.
8.Howrah--Bangalore Exp. (Announced)
9.Howrah--Asansol--Dhanbad--Gaya--New Delhi Poorva Exp.
10.Howrah--Patna--New Delhi Poorva Exp.
11.Howrah--Toofan Exp.
12.Howrah--Patna--New Delhi Rajdhani Exp.
13.Howrah--Asansol--Dhanbad--Gaya--New Delhi Rajdhani Exp.
14.Howrah--Patna JanShatabdi Exp.
15.Howrah--New Delhi Exp.
16.Howrah--Delhi Janata Exp.
17.Howrah--Delhi--Kalka Mail.
18.Howrah--Danapur Exp.
19.Howrah--Gaya Exp.
20.Howrah--Jamalpur Exp.
21.Howrah--Gaya--Allahabad--Mumbai Mail.
22.Howrah--Patna-Allahabad--Mumbai Mail.
23.Howrah--Varanasi Vibhuti Exp.
24.Howrah--Sambalpur Ishpat Exp.
25.Howrah--Mumbai Gitanjali Exp.
26.Howrah--Nagpur--Mumbai Mail.
27.Howrah--Pune Azad Hind Exp.
28.Howrah--Lokmanya Tilak(T) Jnyaneswari Exp.
29.Howrah--Lokmanya Tilak(T) Samarashtra Exp.
30.Howrah--Mumbai Exp.
31.Howrah--Chennai Coromandal Exp.
32.Howrah--Koraput Exp.
33.Howrah--Bhubneswar JanShatabdi Exp.
34.Howrah--Puri Jaggannath Exp.
35.Howrah--Chennai Mail.
36.Howrah--Puri Exp.
37.Howrah--puri weekly Exp.
38.Howrah--Vasco Da Gana Amravati Exp.
39.Howrah--Puri Garib Rath Exp.
40.Howrah--Derhadoon Upasana Exp.
41.Howrah--Amritsar Exp.
42.Howrah--Amritsar Mail.
43.Howrah--Derhadoon Doon Exp.
44.Howrah--Azimhanj Ganadevta Exp.
45.Howrah--Rampurhat Exp.
46.Howrah--JammuTwai Himgiri Exp.
47.Howrah--Bolpur Shantiniketan Exp.
48.Howrah--Malda Town Intercity Exp.
49.Howrah--Dibrugarh Town Kamroop Exp.
50.Howrah--Malda Town JanShatabdi Exp.
51.Howrah--Guwhati Saraighat Exp.
52.Guwhati--Howrah--Thirubanthapuram Exp.
53.Guwhati--Howrah--Secendrabad Exp.
54.Guwhati--Howrah--Bangalore Exp.
55.Howrah--Thiruchirapalli Exp.
56.Howrah--Kanyakumari Exp.
57.Howrah--Yesvantapur Exp.
58.Howrah--Secunderabad Falaknuma Exp.
59.Howrah--Porbandar Exp.
60.Howrah--Hyderabad East Coast Exp.
61.Howrah--Ahmedabad Exp.
62.Howrah--Dhanbad Coal Field Exp.
63.Howrah--Dhanbad Black Diamond Exp.
64.Howrah--Muzzaffarpur Janasadharan Exp.
65.Howrah--Rajgir Exp.
66.Howrah--Ruxul Mithila Exp.
67.Howrah--Kathgodam Bagh Exp.
68.Howrah--Asansol Agneebeena Exp.
69.Howrah--Jodhpur/Bikaneer Exp.
70.Howrah--Gandhidham Exp.
71.Howrah--Haridwar Exp.
72.Howrah--Indore Special
73.Howrah--Bokaro--Ranchi Shatabdi Exp.
74.Howrah--Purulia Rupasi Bangla Exp.
75.Howrah--Barbil JanShatabdi Exp.
76.Howrah--Tata Nagar Steel Exp.
77.Howrah--Hathia Exp.
78.Howrah--Siuri Exp.
79.Howrah--Digha weekly Exp.
80.Howrah--Digha Kandari Exp.
81.Howrah--Digha Tamrolipto Exp.
82.Muzzaffarpur--Howrah--Yesvantapur Exp.
83.Bhagalpur--Howrah--Yesvantapur Exp.
84.Howrah--Rewa Exp.
85.Guwhati--Howrah--Ernakulam Exp.
86.Dibrugarh--Howrah--Yesvantapur Exp.
87.Howrah--Bhadrak Baghajatin Exp.
88.Howrah--Mumbai Duronto Exp.
89.New Jalpaiguri--Howrah--Digha Pahariya Exp.
90.Howrah--Kalka Mail.
91. Howrah Yesvantpur Express
92. Howrah yesvanthpur Duronto Express
Howrah Station houses the divisional headquarters of the Howrah Division of Eastern Railway zone of Indian Railways
.
For passengers it has an enormous covered waiting area between the main complex and the platforms. The main complex has waiting and retiring rooms for passengers awaiting connecting trains. In addition there is a Yatri Niwas with dormitory/ single room/ double room accommodation. The vehicular carriageways along the length of platforms allow passengers to be dropped near rail compartments - a facility unique among most major stations of the country.
The station complex includes the following:
South Eastern railway's EMU car shed and electric loco shed are situated respectively at Tikiapara
and Santragachhi
.
The Howrah Railway Complex also has a Railway Carriage and Wagons Workshop at Liluah
, one of the three in the Eastern Railways. The other two being at Kanchrapara
and Jamalpur
.
North of the station there is now a new Railway Museum displaying artifacts of historical importance related to the development of Eastern Railway.
Before 1992, there was a tram terminus at Howrah station. Trams departed from here towards Rajabazar
, Sealdah Station
, High Court, Dalhousie Square, Park Circus
and Shyambazar
. Trams also departed from here towards Bandhaghat and Shibpur
. That terminus was partially closed in 1971 for closure of the Bandhaghat and Shibpur lines. Many unauthorised vehicles and people took over the tram-track carrying streets and it was impossible to continue the tram service on these routes. The state government wanted to close these lines rather than control buses, taxis, rickshaws and people to allow free tram movemant. After these closures, the part of the terminus which served these two lines was re-constructed for underpasses and a bus terminus. But the other part still functioned until 1992, when the Rabindra Setu (Howrah Bridge) was declared not fit to carry trams, because it is a cantilever bridge. The tram line ran from the opening of the bridge until 1992. Previously routes 11, 20, 26, 30 & 32 served this terminus. Now the terminus is used by buses, and all trams for Howrah station now depart from Barhabazar (1 km away). Some poles and stretches of track still exist.
When the Kolkata metro
line 2 is built, it will pass through Howrah.
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
s serving Howrah and Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
; the others are Sealdah Station, Shalimar Station
Shalimar Station
Shalimar Station is the newest of the four intercity train stations serving Howrah and Kolkata, India; the others are Sealdah Station, in Kolkata, Kolkata Station in Kolkata and Howrah Station in Howrah. Shalimar station is situated in the Shalimar area of Howrah. It is located near Shibpur area of...
and Kolkata railway station
Kolkata railway station
Kolkata Station is the newest of the four intercity train stations serving Howrah and Kolkata, India; the others are Sealdah Station, in Kolkata, Shalimar Station in Howrah and Howrah Station in Howrah...
in Kolkata. Howrah is situated on the West bank of the Hooghly River, linked to Kolkata by the magnificent Howrah Bridge
Howrah Bridge
The Howrah Bridge is a cantilever bridge that spans the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India. Commissioned in 1943, the bridge was originally named the New Howrah Bridge, because it links the city of Howrah to its twin city, Kolkata . On 14 June 1965 it was renamed Rabindra Setu, after Rabindranath...
which is an icon of Kolkata. It is the second-oldest station and the largest railway complex in India.
History
In 1854 the British colonial government in India started building a rail link from Kolkata to the coalfields in BardhamanBardhaman
'Bardhaman or Burdwan , is a city of West Bengal state in eastern India. It is the headquarters of Bardhaman District....
district. This was the second railway line constructed in India after the first one from Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
to Thane in 1853. The line started from Howrah, then a small town on the west shore of the Hooghly River.
Initial plans for the first Howrah station were submitted by George Turnbull
George Turnbull (civil engineer)
George Turnbull was the Chief Engineer responsible for construction from 1851 to 1863 of the first railway line from Calcutta : the 541-mile line to Benares en route to Delhi...
the Chief Engineer of the East Indian Railway Company
East Indian Railway Company
The East Indian Railway Company, later known as the East Indian Railway , introduced railways to eastern and northern India, while the Companies such as the Great Indian Peninsular Railway, South Indian Railway, Central India Railway and the North-Western Railway operated in other parts of India...
on 17 June 1851. In January 1852, it became clear that the government authorities would not sanction the purchase of sufficient land nor the necessary waterfrontage despite remonstrations from Turnbull that the terminus would grow enormously. In May 1852, the detailed station plans were the major work of him and his team of engineers. In October four tenders for building the station were received varying from 190,000 to 274,526 INR against an estimate of 250,000 INR.
Due to a great increase of traffic, a new station building was proposed in 1901. The new station was designed by the British architect Halsey Ricardo
Halsey Ricardo
Halsey Ralph Ricardo was born 1854 and died 1928. He was an architect and designer.He established his practice in 1878, and for 10 years worked in partnership with William de Morgan , for whom he designed tiles, vases, and other artefacts. He advocated the use of glazed materials to resist the...
. It was brought into service on 1 December 1905. This building is the current Howrah station building. The station had 15 platform tracks.
It was expanded in the 1980s with the addition of 8 platform tracks in an area to the south of the station which previously had a parcels terminal, bringing the track count up to 23. At the same time a new Yatri Niwas (transit passenger facility) was built south of the original head house.
Platforms
There are currently 23 platforms in Howrah Station (1-15 for Eastern Railway; 16-23 for South Eastern Railway).Confluence of two railway zones
The station is served by the Eastern RailwayEastern Railway (India)
The Eastern Railway is one of the 17 zones of the Indian Railways. Its headquarters is at Fairley Place, Kolkata, and comprises four divisions: Howrah, Malda, Sealdah, and Asansol. These are the financial departments and each has an assistant divisional financial manager , divisional railway...
for local trains to Belur Math
Belur Math
' or Belur Mutt is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda, a chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. It is located on the west bank of Hooghly River, Belur, West Bengal, India and is one of the significant institutions in Calcutta...
, Tarakeswar
Tarakeswar
Tarakeswar is a town and a municipality in Hooghly District in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a police station in Chandannagar subdivision. Tarakeswar is a renowned place of pilgrimage and the greatest centre of the Shiva sect in West Bengal. 58 km away from Kolkata, Tarakeswar can be...
, Katwa
Katwa
Katwa is the head quarters of Katwa subdivision in the district of Bardhaman, West Bengal. The area has a rural charm and natural beauty, but many trading and other business activities has made it clumsy and congested. It is mostly a middle class residential area.-History:The small town has a five...
, Bandel
Bandel
Bandel , founded by Portuguese settlers, is a gram panchayat in Chinsurah-Mogra block in Chinsurah subdivision of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is under Chinsurah police station. A major junction station of Eastern Railway, it is 40 km from Howrah station...
, Sheoraphuli
Sheoraphuli
Sheoraphuli is a small town in Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority.- History :...
, Bardhaman
Bardhaman
'Bardhaman or Burdwan , is a city of West Bengal state in eastern India. It is the headquarters of Bardhaman District....
and numerous intermediate stations (see Main Line
Howrah-Bardhaman Main Line
The Howrah-Bardhaman Main Line is a broad-gauge railway line connecting Howrah and Bardhaman. The railway line operates in Howrah, Hooghly and Bardhaman districts in the Indian state of West Bengal...
, Chord
Howrah-Bardhaman Chord
The Howrah-Bardhaman Chord is a broad-gauge railway line connecting Howrah and Bardhaman. The railway line operates in Howrah, Hooghly and Bardhaman districts in the Indian state of West Bengal...
and Tarakeswar branch line
Sheoraphuli-Tarakeswar Branch Line
The Sheoraphuli-Tarakeswar Branch Line is a railway line connecting Sheoraphuli on the Howrah-Bardhaman Main Line and the temple town of Tarakeswar. The railway line is entirely in Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Sheoraphuli is from Howrah...
); and mail/express trains to Central, North and North-East India. A narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
line connects Bardhaman and Katwa and is currently served by DMU trains (all other lines run EMU trains). There is a plan to extend the suburban train service from Bardhaman to Mankar and Guskara
Guskara
Guskara is a town and a municipality under Ausgram police station of Sadar subdivision in Barddhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Geography:Guskara is located at . It has an average elevation of 38 metres ....
, by electrifying the Khana
Khana
Khana was an Indian poetess and legendary astrologist, who composed in medieval Bengali between the ninth and 12th centuries AD...
–Guskara existing stretch, which is currently served by diesel loco hauled trains. The Bardhaman–Mankar stretch is now served by electric loco hauled trains.
The South Eastern Railway
South Eastern Railway (India)
The South Eastern Railway is one of the sixteen railway zones in India. It is headquartered at Garden Reach, Kolkata. It comprises four divisions:# Adra Railway Division# Chakradharpur Railway Division# Kharagpur Railway Division...
serves local trains to Amta
Amta
Amta I is an administrative division in Uluberia subdivision of Howrah district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Amta police station serves this block...
, Mecheda
Mecheda
Mecheda is a town in the West Bengal, India. The town is the gate way of Purba Medinipur Dist. upon S.E.Rly. and in proximity to Haldia, Tamluk, Digha and Midnapore.-Education:...
, Panskura
Panskura
Panskura is a town, municipality and a Police station in Purba Medinipur in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Geography:Panskura is located at . It has an average elevation of 7 metres . Its a situated on the NH6 on the way from Kolkata to Kharagpur.-Economy:The livelihood of the common people...
, Tamluk
Tamluk
Tamluk is the district headquarters of Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal, India. Though there is some controversy, scholars have generally agreed that present day Tamluk is the site of the ancient city variously known as Tamralipta or Tamralipti...
, Haldia
Haldia
Haldia has a typical moderate climate with winter temperatures ranging from a low of around 7 degrees Celsius to a high of 22 degrees Celsius. Winters are chilly and is when the residents hold the Haldia Utsav festival. Summers can be very hot and humid. Usual summer temperatures in May, the...
, Kanthi, Medinipur and Kharagpur
Kharagpur
Kharagpur is an industrial city in India. It is located in the Midnapore West district of the state of West Bengal.Kharagpur was chosen as the location of the first campus of the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology . The IITs are the premier technical education institutes in India and...
; and mail/express trains to Central, West and South India. The Tamluk–Kanthi stretch is currently under electrification and until complete, it will be served by DMU trains (all other lines run EMU trains). There is a plan to extend the suburban train service from Kharagpur
Kharagpur
Kharagpur is an industrial city in India. It is located in the Midnapore West district of the state of West Bengal.Kharagpur was chosen as the location of the first campus of the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology . The IITs are the premier technical education institutes in India and...
to Jhargram
Jhargram
Jhargram is a subdivisional municipality in the Paschim Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal.Beyond the Gangetic plains of West Bengal,INDIA...
and Narayangarh
Narayangarh
Narayangarh is a part of the city of Bharatpur in Chitwan District in the central part of Nepal, 146 km due west of Kathmandu, and 136 km from Pokhara, at the Narayani River where it leaves the Mahabharat Range. It has about 71,000 inhabitants out of 225,000 of whole Bharatpur city, and...
. Both stretches are now served by electric loco (EMU) hauled trains.
Services
Trains from this station serve the Kolkata urban area via the Kolkata suburban railwayKolkata Suburban Railway
The Kolkata Suburban Railway is the rail system for the suburbs surrounding the city of Kolkata . Railways such as this are important and heavily-used infrastructure in India....
, the state of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, and most major cities of India. Its twenty-three platforms handle over six hundred trains each day, serving more than a million passengers. It is served by two zones of the Indian Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
: Eastern Railway
Eastern Railway (India)
The Eastern Railway is one of the 17 zones of the Indian Railways. Its headquarters is at Fairley Place, Kolkata, and comprises four divisions: Howrah, Malda, Sealdah, and Asansol. These are the financial departments and each has an assistant divisional financial manager , divisional railway...
and South Eastern Railway
South Eastern Railway (India)
The South Eastern Railway is one of the sixteen railway zones in India. It is headquartered at Garden Reach, Kolkata. It comprises four divisions:# Adra Railway Division# Chakradharpur Railway Division# Kharagpur Railway Division...
.
The station is operated by the Eastern Railway.
South Eastern Railway was previously known as the Bengal-Nagpur Railway (BNR, derisively called "Be Never Regular" because of its notorious tardiness) which built the truck route from Kolkata to Nagpur
Nagpur
Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...
connecting to Great Indian Peninsular (GIP) route to Mumbai and the trunk route to Vijayawada Junction
Vijayawada Junction
Vijayawada Junction is a major railway station of Indian Railways serving the city of Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. The station falls in the Vijayawada railway division of the South Central Railway zone of the Indian Railways...
connecting with the GIP route to Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
. Eastern Railway was previously known as East Indian Railway (EIR) which built the trunk route from Kolkata to Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
and beyond.
Four of India's most important trunk rail routes end in Howrah. They are Howrah-Delhi, Howrah-Mumbai, Howrah-Chennai and Howrah-Guwahati
Guwahati
Guwahati, Pragjyotishpura in ancient Assam formerly known as Gauhati is a metropolis,the largest city of Assam in India and ancient urban area in North East India, with a population of 963,429. It is also the largest metropolitan area in north-eastern India...
. Today there are 23 platforms in Howrah Junction /Central. The first Rajdhani Express
Rajdhani Express
Rajdhani Express is a passenger train service in India connecting New Delhi with other important destinations, especially state capitals. Rajdhani means "The Capital" in Hindi.- History :...
in the country ran between Howrah and New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
in 1969. Eastern Railway handles trains for northern, north-western, north-eastern & eastern India through Barddhaman line & Katwa line. South Eastern Railway handles trains for southern, south-western, south-eastern, western & central India through Medinipur Line. Kanthi line is also serving long distance intrastate trains.
The Eastern Railway and South Eastern Railway section are connected by two links, one is Lilua-Tikiaparha link , and other is Rajchandrapur/Dankuni-Bankrha link , currently used by only goods trains. There are proposals to introduce passenger train service on these two links to facilitate quick travel between the two sections avoiding Howrah.
Trains
1.Howrah--Bhopal Exp.2.Howrah--Indore Shipra Exp.
3.Howrah--Gwalior Chambal Exp.
4.Howrah--Jabalpur Shaktipunj Exp.
5.Howrah--Puri Exp.
6.Howrah--Asansol--Dhanbad--Bokaro--Ranchi Intercity Exp.
7.Howrah--Ghatsila--Ranchi Intercity Exp.
8.Howrah--Bangalore Exp. (Announced)
9.Howrah--Asansol--Dhanbad--Gaya--New Delhi Poorva Exp.
10.Howrah--Patna--New Delhi Poorva Exp.
11.Howrah--Toofan Exp.
12.Howrah--Patna--New Delhi Rajdhani Exp.
13.Howrah--Asansol--Dhanbad--Gaya--New Delhi Rajdhani Exp.
14.Howrah--Patna JanShatabdi Exp.
15.Howrah--New Delhi Exp.
16.Howrah--Delhi Janata Exp.
17.Howrah--Delhi--Kalka Mail.
18.Howrah--Danapur Exp.
19.Howrah--Gaya Exp.
20.Howrah--Jamalpur Exp.
21.Howrah--Gaya--Allahabad--Mumbai Mail.
22.Howrah--Patna-Allahabad--Mumbai Mail.
23.Howrah--Varanasi Vibhuti Exp.
24.Howrah--Sambalpur Ishpat Exp.
25.Howrah--Mumbai Gitanjali Exp.
26.Howrah--Nagpur--Mumbai Mail.
27.Howrah--Pune Azad Hind Exp.
28.Howrah--Lokmanya Tilak(T) Jnyaneswari Exp.
29.Howrah--Lokmanya Tilak(T) Samarashtra Exp.
30.Howrah--Mumbai Exp.
31.Howrah--Chennai Coromandal Exp.
32.Howrah--Koraput Exp.
33.Howrah--Bhubneswar JanShatabdi Exp.
34.Howrah--Puri Jaggannath Exp.
35.Howrah--Chennai Mail.
36.Howrah--Puri Exp.
37.Howrah--puri weekly Exp.
38.Howrah--Vasco Da Gana Amravati Exp.
39.Howrah--Puri Garib Rath Exp.
40.Howrah--Derhadoon Upasana Exp.
41.Howrah--Amritsar Exp.
42.Howrah--Amritsar Mail.
43.Howrah--Derhadoon Doon Exp.
44.Howrah--Azimhanj Ganadevta Exp.
45.Howrah--Rampurhat Exp.
46.Howrah--JammuTwai Himgiri Exp.
47.Howrah--Bolpur Shantiniketan Exp.
48.Howrah--Malda Town Intercity Exp.
49.Howrah--Dibrugarh Town Kamroop Exp.
50.Howrah--Malda Town JanShatabdi Exp.
51.Howrah--Guwhati Saraighat Exp.
52.Guwhati--Howrah--Thirubanthapuram Exp.
53.Guwhati--Howrah--Secendrabad Exp.
54.Guwhati--Howrah--Bangalore Exp.
55.Howrah--Thiruchirapalli Exp.
56.Howrah--Kanyakumari Exp.
57.Howrah--Yesvantapur Exp.
58.Howrah--Secunderabad Falaknuma Exp.
Falaknuma Express
2703/2704 Falaknuma Express is a superfast train of The Indian Railways connecting Howrah to Secunderabad. The train belongs to the South Central Railway. It runs daily and connects important stations such as Bhubaneswar, Vishakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Guntur. It is a fast alternative to other...
59.Howrah--Porbandar Exp.
60.Howrah--Hyderabad East Coast Exp.
61.Howrah--Ahmedabad Exp.
62.Howrah--Dhanbad Coal Field Exp.
63.Howrah--Dhanbad Black Diamond Exp.
64.Howrah--Muzzaffarpur Janasadharan Exp.
65.Howrah--Rajgir Exp.
66.Howrah--Ruxul Mithila Exp.
67.Howrah--Kathgodam Bagh Exp.
68.Howrah--Asansol Agneebeena Exp.
69.Howrah--Jodhpur/Bikaneer Exp.
70.Howrah--Gandhidham Exp.
71.Howrah--Haridwar Exp.
72.Howrah--Indore Special
73.Howrah--Bokaro--Ranchi Shatabdi Exp.
74.Howrah--Purulia Rupasi Bangla Exp.
75.Howrah--Barbil JanShatabdi Exp.
76.Howrah--Tata Nagar Steel Exp.
77.Howrah--Hathia Exp.
78.Howrah--Siuri Exp.
79.Howrah--Digha weekly Exp.
80.Howrah--Digha Kandari Exp.
81.Howrah--Digha Tamrolipto Exp.
82.Muzzaffarpur--Howrah--Yesvantapur Exp.
83.Bhagalpur--Howrah--Yesvantapur Exp.
84.Howrah--Rewa Exp.
85.Guwhati--Howrah--Ernakulam Exp.
86.Dibrugarh--Howrah--Yesvantapur Exp.
87.Howrah--Bhadrak Baghajatin Exp.
88.Howrah--Mumbai Duronto Exp.
89.New Jalpaiguri--Howrah--Digha Pahariya Exp.
90.Howrah--Kalka Mail.
91. Howrah Yesvantpur Express
92. Howrah yesvanthpur Duronto Express
Facilities
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
.
For passengers it has an enormous covered waiting area between the main complex and the platforms. The main complex has waiting and retiring rooms for passengers awaiting connecting trains. In addition there is a Yatri Niwas with dormitory/ single room/ double room accommodation. The vehicular carriageways along the length of platforms allow passengers to be dropped near rail compartments - a facility unique among most major stations of the country.
The station complex includes the following:
- Two vehicular carriageways between platforms 8-9 (Eastern Railway) and 22-23 (South Eastern Railway) up to the length of the platforms. They connect to the flyovers at the end of platforms; facilitating quick exit of vehicles.
- Diesel Loco shed (84 locos)
- Electric Loco Shed (96 locos). This also includes an electric trip shed with the capacity to hold around 15–20 locos. Interestingly, Howrah loco shed houses the maximum number of WAP-4Indian locomotive class WAP-4WAP-4 is one of the most important electric locomotives used in India. It is a very powerful class capable of hauling 26 coaches at a speed of 140 km/h...
class of locos, numbering a total of 100 locos. - EMU Car Shed (15+ parking slots)
- Coach Maintenance Complex services many prestigious trains such as the RajdhaniRajdhaniRajdhani may refer to:* Rajdhani, Kotli, a village in Pakistan* Rajdhani Express, passenger train service in India* Rajdhani , 1956 film* Rajdhani, Gorakhpur, a village in India....
, DurontoDuronto ExpressDuronto Express is a category of long distance trains on Indian Railways. The special feature of these trains is that they run non-stop from source to destination, barring technical halts. All Duronto Express trains can be easily recognized by the characteristic yellow-green livery of their...
and Shatabdi expresses.
South Eastern railway's EMU car shed and electric loco shed are situated respectively at Tikiapara
Tikia Para
Tikia Para is an area in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It is close to Howrah Station. A Tikia Para railway station exists....
and Santragachhi
Santragachhi
Santragachhi or Santragachi is a neighbourhood of Howrah city in West Bengal, India. It has a railway station which is a railway junction on the South Eastern Railway...
.
The Howrah Railway Complex also has a Railway Carriage and Wagons Workshop at Liluah
Liluah
Liluah is a neighbourhood of Bally municipality in Howrah district, West Bengal, India. It has a railway junction, which is the first station after Howrah on the Eastern Railway .-Location:...
, one of the three in the Eastern Railways. The other two being at Kanchrapara
Kanchrapara
Kanchrapara is a city and a municipality under Bijpur police station of Barrackpore subdivision. in North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority.-Geography:...
and Jamalpur
Jamalpur
Jamalpur may refer to:Bangladesh* Jamalpur District* Jamalpur Sadar UpazilaIndia* Jamalpur, Munger, Bihar* Jamalpur, Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh* Jamalpur , West Bengal...
.
North of the station there is now a new Railway Museum displaying artifacts of historical importance related to the development of Eastern Railway.
Before 1992, there was a tram terminus at Howrah station. Trams departed from here towards Rajabazar
Rajabazar
Rajabazar is a locality in the city of Kolkata in West Bengal, India. It is located approximately in North-Central Kolkata, between CIT Road and AJC Bose Road. The locality has grown around Narkeldanaga Main Road, now renamed as Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Sarani, which acts as a connector between CIT...
, Sealdah Station
Sealdah
Sealdah is one of the major train stations serving Kolkata in India, the others being Howrah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata Railway Station. Sealdah is one of the busiest rail stations in India and an important suburban rail terminal...
, High Court, Dalhousie Square, Park Circus
Park Circus
- Location :Park Circus is an area in South Kolkata. It has Entally and Sealdah to its north, Park Street and Chowringhee to its west, Taltala to its north west, Topsia and Ballygunge to its south & Tangra to its east. It is connected to both Park Street and AJC Bose Road. It is a locality of...
and Shyambazar
Shyambazar
Shyambazar is a neighbourhood in north Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal. The area, under Shyampukur police station of Kolkata Police, has been, along with neighbouring Bagbazar, the citadel of the Bengali aristocracy, in a part of what was earlier known as...
. Trams also departed from here towards Bandhaghat and Shibpur
Shibpur
Shibpur is a residential area located in the city of Howrah, West Bengal, India. It is well known for being the location of the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, the Bengal Engineering College and the Hazar Hath Kaali Temple. The famous Bengali linguist Suniti Kumar Chatterji...
. That terminus was partially closed in 1971 for closure of the Bandhaghat and Shibpur lines. Many unauthorised vehicles and people took over the tram-track carrying streets and it was impossible to continue the tram service on these routes. The state government wanted to close these lines rather than control buses, taxis, rickshaws and people to allow free tram movemant. After these closures, the part of the terminus which served these two lines was re-constructed for underpasses and a bus terminus. But the other part still functioned until 1992, when the Rabindra Setu (Howrah Bridge) was declared not fit to carry trams, because it is a cantilever bridge. The tram line ran from the opening of the bridge until 1992. Previously routes 11, 20, 26, 30 & 32 served this terminus. Now the terminus is used by buses, and all trams for Howrah station now depart from Barhabazar (1 km away). Some poles and stretches of track still exist.
When the Kolkata metro
Kolkata Metro
The Kolkata Metro or Calcutta Metro is a mass rapid transit system serving the city of Kolkata and the districts of South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas in Indian state of West Bengal. The network consists of one operational line and five lines currently under construction...
line 2 is built, it will pass through Howrah.
See also
- Shalimar StationShalimar StationShalimar Station is the newest of the four intercity train stations serving Howrah and Kolkata, India; the others are Sealdah Station, in Kolkata, Kolkata Station in Kolkata and Howrah Station in Howrah. Shalimar station is situated in the Shalimar area of Howrah. It is located near Shibpur area of...
- Sealdah StationSealdahSealdah is one of the major train stations serving Kolkata in India, the others being Howrah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata Railway Station. Sealdah is one of the busiest rail stations in India and an important suburban rail terminal...
- Kolkata StationKolkata railway stationKolkata Station is the newest of the four intercity train stations serving Howrah and Kolkata, India; the others are Sealdah Station, in Kolkata, Shalimar Station in Howrah and Howrah Station in Howrah...
- Kolkata Suburban RailwayKolkata Suburban RailwayThe Kolkata Suburban Railway is the rail system for the suburbs surrounding the city of Kolkata . Railways such as this are important and heavily-used infrastructure in India....
- Kolkata Metro RailwayKolkata MetroThe Kolkata Metro or Calcutta Metro is a mass rapid transit system serving the city of Kolkata and the districts of South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas in Indian state of West Bengal. The network consists of one operational line and five lines currently under construction...
- Kolkata TramwaysCalcutta Tramways CompanyThe Calcutta Tramways Company Limited is a West Bengal, India government-run company which runs trams in Kolkata and buses in and around Kolkata...