Raiganj railway station

25°37′07″N 88°07′43″E / 25.6187°N 88.1285°E / 25.6187; 88.1285Elevation37 metres (121 ft)Owned byIndian RailwaysOperated byNortheast Frontier RailwayLine(s)Barsoi–Radhikapur branch linePlatforms2Tracks3ConstructionStructure typeStandard on groundParkingAvailableOther informationStation codeRGJ Zone(s) Northeast Frontier Railway Division(s) KatiharHistoryOpened1889ElectrifiedYesPrevious namesAssam Behar State Railway

Location
Raiganj Location in West Bengal Show map of West Bengal Raiganj Location in India Show map of India

Raiganj railway station serves Raiganj city in Uttar Dinajpur district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

History

Katihar was connected to Parbatipur, now in Bangladesh, in 1889, by Assam Behar State Railway.^[1]

With the partition of India, links with East Pakistan were lost. The Barsoi–Radhikapur sector became a branch line. In the early 1960s, when Farakka Barrage was being constructed, a more radical change was made. Indian Railways created a new broad-gauge rail link from Calcutta.^[2]

The 2,240 m (7,350 ft)-long Farakka Barrage carries a rail-cum-road bridge across the Ganges. The rail bridge was opened in 1971, linking the Barharwa–Azimganj–Katwa loop to Mala Town, New Jalpaiguri and other railway stations in North Bengal.^[3]

List of available trains

Raiganj railway station is on the Barsoi–Radhikapur branch line. One express train Radhikapur Express & Kulik Express are available for reaching Kolkata. Delhi Bound Daily link express also available from Raiganj which service is postponed after COVID lockdown. Besides these couple of Katihar bound 3 local passenger trains and a Siliguri-bound DMU passenger and Radhikapur - Telta DMU can also be availed. Present C.M of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee during her reign as a railways minister announced couple of railways projects for Raiganj which will definitely boost the communication.

• Raiganj–Dalkhola line (43.43 km)
• Raiganj–Itahar–Gazole line

In 1972 and 1983 Gajole -Gunjoria Via Raiganj Rail project which can decrease the present distance between Kolkata and Siliguri had also sanctioned ,but not implemented till now for political issues.

^{[4] [5]}

Future upgrades

Raiganj is pretty backward in terms of railway communication. The station is situated on Barsoi–Radhikapur branch line and only a handful of trains pass. But, the railway ministry has sanctioned couple of projects which will convert Raiganj railway station to a Railway Junction. The projects when completed will provide direct links to Malda Town railway station and also to Dalkhola railway station and thus will greatly boost the communication. The projects are in initial stages and only 30% of work has been completed. ^{[6] [7] [8] [9]}

Amenities

Raiganj railway station has the following amenities:

• Computerized reservation system
• Waiting room
• Retering room
• Book stall
• Meal stalls

^[10]

Platforms

There are a total of 2 platforms and 3 tracks. The platforms are connected by foot overbridge.

Station layout

G	Street level	Exit/Entrance & ticket counter
P1	FOB, Side platform, No-1 doors will open on the left/right
	Track 1
	Track 2
	Track 3
	FOB, Island platform, No- 2 doors will open on the left/right

Track layout

Raiganj track layout
Legend
Radhikapur 1 2 to Barsoi Junction
Station with three tracks and two side platforms

References

External links

• Trains at Raiganj railway station
• Raiganj travel guide from Wikivoyage

Preceding station	Indian Railways			Following station
Jhitkia towards ?		Northeast Frontier Railway zone Barsoi–Parbatipur branch line		Bamangram towards ?