Railway Board approves ₹396 crore for double line work on Ranaghat – Bangaon railway line
Indian Railways takes another step towards creating social infrastructure to improve the quality of life of the people of West Bengal
The Ranaghat – Bangaon railway line under the Sealdah division of Eastern Railway is an important railway connecting North 24 Parganas and Nadia districts of West Bengal. This railway line is connected to the Sealdah – Krishnanagar main line from Bangaon station (which is located near the India-Bangladesh International Land Border), which provides fast and easy connectivity for goods and passengers.
Various stations located on this route such as Cooper’s Halt, Naba Raynagar Halt, Gangnapur, Majhergram, Akaipur Halt, Gopalnagar and Satberia — once the double line is completed, the people of these areas will be able to connect more seamlessly with other parts of West Bengal and various states of the country.
The Railway Board has approved an allocation of ₹396.04 crore for the Ranaghat-Bangaon Double Line Project (length 32.93 km), which will play a crucial role in the speedy implementation of the project.
A total of 9 stations and 2 Limited Height Subways (LHS) will be constructed under this Double Line work—one between Ranaghat and Majhergram stations and another between Majhergram and Gopalnagar stations.
Ranaghat Junction is located on the Sealdah-Krishnanagar-Lalgola main line, while Bangaon Junction is located on the Sealdah/Kolkata -Dumdum-Bangaon-Petrapole (near the Bangladesh Border) line. At present, the stations in the peripheral areas of these two districts are connected by a single line. But the need for a Double Line is now being felt acutely to meet the growing population and the demand for faster logistics and passenger transport. Recently, AC EMU local train service has been launched from Ranaghat to Sealdah via Bangaon (Ranaghat-Bangaon route), which has further improved passenger services. The completion of the double line will further accelerate the efforts of the railways for the social and economic development of the region.
Currently, the capacity of this railway is being utilized at 114%, so there will be no delay or crossing problems in train movement if the double line is constructed. This will increase the speed of both goods and passenger traffic. The double line will create an opportunity to transport an additional 0.88 million tonnes of goods (MTPA) and run 10 more pairs of passenger trains in both directions daily, through which the railways will earn an additional income of ₹8.66 crore.
The implementation of this double line project will bring ease in the lives of the local people, create opportunities for fast and smooth travel for the local people and overall strengthen the social infrastructure of the region.