Situated in a serene view of river Hooghly, Chandannagar, earlier known as Chandernagore was born by the merger of three villages Boro in the North, Khalisani in the West, and Gondalpara in the South. It was a tiny pocket of 19 square kilometres, an integral part of French India, surrounded by British India, Eastern Railway shared.
The main railway line from Howrah to Burdwan had a station named Chandernagore though it seems to have been just outside French territory. It still survives as Chandannagar station and is served by many EMU locals and a handful of long-distance trains.
After the French left, Chandannagar was handed over in May 1950. In due course Chandannagar became a subdivision of Hooghly district and thus an integral part of West Bengal. But the French colonial traces still remained with the architecture of old buildings.
As a part of the Railway Ministry’s instructions for face lifting of stations, Chandannagar station is selected under Amrit Bharat Station phase-I which will develop this station on a continuous basis with a long-term approach.