Raiganj: The Ministry of Railways has announced the launch of a weekly Radhikapur–Bengaluru Express train, which is scheduled to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Malda Town station on January 17. The announcement has sparked widespread happiness among residents of North Dinajpur district, who have long demanded direct rail connectivity to southern India.
Ahead of the inauguration, Chetan Kumar Srivastava, General Manager of Northeast Frontier (NF) Railway, along with Kirendra Narayan, Divisional Railway Manager of Katihar Division, visited Radhikapur station on Monday afternoon. During their visit, the senior officials inspected station infrastructure and reviewed preparedness for the new long-distance service, noting areas requiring further development.
According to the announced schedule, the weekly express will depart from Radhikapur station at 9.30 pm every Sunday and reach Bengaluru at 8.45 pm on Tuesday. En route, the train will halt at several important stations including Barsoi, Malda Town, Rampurhat, Bardhaman, Kharagpur, Balasore, Bhubaneswar, Vijayawada, Jolarpettai and Katpadi.
The return journey will commence from Bengaluru on Thursdays, with the train arriving back at Radhikapur on Sunday. The train will consist of 22 coaches, including two AC 2-tier, six AC 3-tier, eight sleeper class and four general coaches.