Kolkata:The Circular Railway of Sealdah Division is in operation since 1984 and hence it’s all set to complete 40 years‘ acclaimed service for Kolkata. The Circular Railway was conceptualized by Ministry of Railways to ease up the prevailing transportation hindrance in the City of Joy. The roadway in Kolkata covers only 5% of surface area of this 300 year old Heritage City. Accordingly, Railway Board came out with a plan to connect the 14 Km abandoned Rail road from Majherhat to Tala.
The construction of Circular Rail got accelerated in early ’80s. As on date, the Circular Railway of Eastern Railway network forms a circular route covering a distance of approx 44 Km. In total, there are 21 Railway Stations enroute which includes major stations like Dumdum Jn, Sealdah, Ballygunge, Tollygunge, Majherhat etc.
The Circular Railway operates both passenger and goods train. Passenger services include EMU local which caters to the transportation needs of the metropolitan city, connecting north and south. The goods trains transport cargo including containers.
Sealdah Division runs 29 services of EMU trains throughout the day facilitating lakhs of commuters. Circular Railway plays a pivotal role in Kolkata’s transportation network connecting various parts of the city and suburbs. It also provides an efficient, affordable and environment friendly mode of transport with almost zero carbon emission. As such, the Circular Railway is a crucial transportation artery of Kolkata supporting millions of passengers thereby contributing significantly in growth and development of Kolkata.
