Curtains down for Balurghat-Kolkata Link Express train

At 10:10 am on Thursday, the Balurghat-Kolkata Link Express train via Malda chugged into the Balurghat Station for the last time. The train was commissioned in 2004 and it was the first train that Balurghat got after the completion of Balurghat-Eklakhi project.

It was earlier declared by the Railways that the train will stop running immediately after a new train between Kolkata and Balurghat starts plying. Recently, the Balurghat-Sealdah Express was introduced by the Railways.

On Thursday, Balurghat-Kolkata Link Express arrived at Balurghat Station from Kolkata for the last time. However, as per the decision of the Railways, the train will run as usual between Balurghat and Malda as Balurghat-Malda Passenger train daily in the afternoon from Balurghat Station.

“On the first day when the train had started its journey, there was a huge crowd standing on both sides of the Railway line in Balurghat. That memory will not be forgotten. There will be no shortage of trains but l feel sad to hear the news of the discontinuation of this train,” reminisced Sunil Mukherjee, a local resident.

In 2004, Gour Express running between Sealdah-Malda was extended to Balurghat. For nearly 20 years, this link train was one of the mainstays of Kolkata’s communication with the people of Balurghat.

“I had gone to Gangarampur in that Gaur Link Express. It was my first train journey and the joy I had experienced cannot be expressed in words. My house was near the station and I used to stand by the line every day when the train arrived. It is sad that this train to Kolkata has come to a halt. However, this train will alway remain etched to our memories,” stated Gautam Biswas, a resident of Balurghat.