Residents struggle as Radhikapur–Delhi express frequency reduced; MLA demands daily service

RAIGANJ: Residents across North Dinajpur are up in arms over the drastic reduction in the frequency of the Radhikapur-Delhi express train, which now runs only once a week instead of running daily. The cut in service, they say, has caused severe hardship for frequent travelers to the national capital and beyond.

At a gathering of Trinamool Congress (TMC) members at Najmu Natya Mancha, MLA Krishna Kalyani strongly criticised the Central government and the local BJP MP, stating that a protest movement will be launched after Kali Puja to press demands for the restoration of full service. He also urged that the train’s travel time on this route be reduced from the current 33 hours to around 23 or 24 hours.

It was reported that when Congress MP Deepa Dasmunshi represented Raiganj (around 2010), a “link” Simanchal Express operated daily from Radhikapur to Delhi, which was later upgraded into a full-fledged train. During the COVID-19 years, the train remained suspended for over two years. When services resumed, its frequency was reduced from daily to weekly, leaving traders, migrant workers, students, and officials from the region struggling due to poor connectivity.

Krishna Kalyani said: “As MLA, I have already spent over Rs 400 crore on roads, bridges and public buildings. Since Kartik Chandra Paul became MP, railway connectivity for North Dinajpur has been allowed to decline. Reducing this vital train to once a week is a betrayal of this region by the BJP-led Central government. After Kali Puja, we will mobilise a movement demanding justice.

We will demand the restoration of this train’s frequency from weekly to daily and seek to reduce its travel time on the 1,420 km Radhikapur–Delhi route to about 24 hours from the current 33 hours.”