Old bus service linking Ramrajatala and Rajabazar back after years

Kolkata: A direct bus service between Howrah’s Ramrajatala area and Rajabazar in Kolkata returned to the roads on Monday after remaining defunct for several years, offering much-needed relief to daily commuters. The revived service was formally flagged off by state Food Processing and Horticulture minister Arup Roy at Belepole.

The route has a long history. First sanctioned in 2003, it operated for years as route number 9 using 28-seater minibuses. The service came to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and never resumed—until now. The route has been revived with larger 40-seater buses and renumbered HB9.

On the first day, seven of the 12 permitted buses were pressed into service, with another expected to be added in the next few days. The remaining four are likely to join the fleet ahead of Kali Puja later this month. According to Sanjib Patra, general secretary of the HB9 Route, buses will operate at 10-12-minute intervals. Services from Belepole will run from 6 am to 8.30 pm, while from Rajabazar, the first bus will leave at 8 am and the last around 9.45 pm.

The route passes through Santragachi More, Notun Rasta, Shyamashree, Mallik Phatak, Howrah Maidan, Howrah Station, MG Road, College Street and Sealdah before terminating at Rajabazar.

“All these years, passengers travelling from Howrah to Rajabazar or College Street had to change two or three vehicles. Even for a short distance from Ramrajatala to Howrah Maidan Metro Station, commuters often had to switch multiple totos. This revived route will help reduce both travel time and expenses,” said Rahul Chatterjee, general secretary of the All Bengal Bus Minibus Samannay Samity.