Train services soon between Siliguri and Dhaka
Train services between north Bengal’s Siliguri, the second-largest city in the eastern state, and Bangladesh capital Dhaka will start soon, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, India’s foreign secretary, said on Sunday. The Centre is trying to operationalize the railway services between the two cities and the announcement on the same would be made soon. The plan is to start the service at the earliest and it will take advantage of the opening of Haldibari-Chilahati train services. It is important for linking Bangladesh to north Bengal. It will provide a lot of opportunities in the transportation of goods. The services will start with freight trains and, over a period of time, passenger train services will start between Siliguri and Dhaka. Freight train services between Haldibari in the Alipurduar railway division and Chilahati in Bangladesh resumed on August 1st, after a gap of 56 years. The two countries have passenger train services between Kolkata and Dhaka and between Kolkata and Khulna. Passenger trains between Dhaka and Siliguri will bring in tourists and people coming for medical reasons also. This is good for the region.
Bihar set to get its 4th expressway, will connect Gorakhpur to Siliguri
This will be the fourth expressway in Bihar. One such road is being constructed between Aurangabad and Jaynagar (in Madhubani district). A second one is being constructed between Raxaul and Patna, which will go to Kolkata. Another one is proposed between Buxar and Bhagalpur. Bihar is all set to get a second expressway – which will start from Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh to Siliguri in West Bengal. The report further said that the new road will prove to be a lifeline for those living in north Bihar. Currently, there is no road connecting Gorakhpur with Siliguri, which is why it takes nearly a day to cover the distance between the two cities. The proposed expressway will reduce the distance between Gorakhpur and Siliguri to less than 600 kilometers. Most of it around 416 kilometers will pass through north Bihar. It will enter Bihar through Gopalganj, and pass through Siwan, Chhapra, Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Supaul, Saharsa, Purnia, Kishanganj before reaching Siliguri. This will be a greenfield expressway and won’t include any of the existing roads. Since the speed of the vehicles is very high on the expressways, the alignment will be kept in such a manner that the road will be straight.
Sikkim Railway Network With Siliguri & Connectivity is set to Start
Sivok-Rangpo Railway Line is the line connecting the Indian states of West Bengal and Sikkim. It branches out from New Jalpaiguri – Alipurduar – Samuktala Road line at Sivok railway station, Sevoke Town near Siliguri in Darjeeling district and runs through villages and towns of Kalimpong district of West Bengal and terminates in Rangpo Railway Station in Rangpo, Pakyong District of Sikkim. In the second phase of construction, this line will be extended to Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim. This railway line lies under the Northeast Frontier Railway zone Alipurduar railway division. This railway line covers Darjeeling district and Kalimpong district of West Bengal and the Pakyong District of Sikkim. Sivok – Rangpo line, a 44 – kilometer long line, will provide access to Gangtok in Sikkim. The track will have 28 bridges and 14 tunnels and 38.5 kilometers of the track will be in tunnels. Bridges over deep gorges and valleys will provide a scenic journey. The track is constructed through the foothills of the Kanchanjungha mountain range and the Teesta river valley. New railway stations will be constructed at Melli, Teesta Bazaar, Geil Khola, Riang, and Rangpo.