Kolkata Community Portal || Kolkata Community Portal - News, Reviews, Comments & Discussion

Tracks Cleared For 2-Tier Dum Dum Station

By raghav, Section Transportation
Posted on Wed Feb 28, 2007 at 02:54:45 AM EST

Over 4,00,000 daily commuters reaching Sealdah terminal from the northern districts via Dum Dum Junction are expected to get a smoother ride once Eastern Railway turns it into a "two-tier" station.

The Railway Board has cleared survey for a multilevel arrangement that will enable Eastern Railway to run trains from Sealdah on the Bongaon line to the Bangladesh border by bypassing congestion at Dum Dum junction.

At Dum Dum, seven kilometres north of Sealdah, the four tracks entering from Kankurgachi junction head out north into four different lines -- Bongaon in northeast, Krishnanagar to north, Dankuni a sharp turn to northwest and another line that heads north to Krishnanagar, via a detour.

In the morning and evening rush hours, commuters often find trains held up to clear the track for another going across their path. The junction is also an above-ground terminus of the Metro Rail and handles all long-distance passenger trains coming to Sealdah and the new Kolkata terminal.

With no space to expand sideways, the north-south aligned junction has two double platforms and one single platform, parallel to each other, with six sets of railway tracks. The railway often has to reschedule the platform for an arriving train, leaving passengers rushing to cross over through the foot-overbridge.

Railway authorities said Dum Dum station handles 750 suburban train trips made by 75 rakes every day. If any such train is delayed at Dum Dum for even 10 minutes on any particular trip, its schedule for the day is disrupted. This is because unlike a long-distance train it cannot make up the time lost.

Sealdah divisional railway manager S K Mondal said the survey for a multilevel arrangement at Dum Dum station would cost around Rs 170 crore. "We had sent a preliminary concept to the Railway Board some four months ago and a survey has been sanctioned," he said. "We expect to set up a team soon."

Meanwhile, the Kolkata terminal created out of Chitpur goods yard in north Kolkata handles only seven long-distance trains at present. This terminal was built to decongest Sealdah and Howrah.

But once this terminal is expanded to handle 20 long-distance passenger trains, the load on Dum Dum junction would increase manifold, since it is the common entry point. "So we have to complete the second-level station at Dum Dum Junction as fast as possible," Mondal said.

(Source-Expressindia,28/02/07)

< Teachers Protest Right to Education Bill, Demand Changes | Take Care of Your Eyes to Enjoy Holi >