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Howrah Station
Indian Railway Station
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Howrah Terminal |
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| Location | |
| City | Howrah |
| District | Howrah |
| State | West Bengal |
| Elevation | MSL + 12 m (39 ft) |
| Station Info & Facilities | |
| Station type | Junction Station |
| Structure | Standard (on ground station) |
| Station status | Functioning |
| Parking | Available |
| Entrance(s) | 2 |
| Baggage check | Available |
| Connections | Taxi Stand, Ferry, Subway |
| Operation | |
| Code | HWH |
| Division(s) | Howrah |
| Zone(s) | Eastern Railway (India) South Eastern Railway (India) |
| Line(s) | Howrah-Delhi, Howrah-Mumbai, Howrah-Chennai and Howrah-Guwahati |
| Track(s) | 25 |
| Platform(s) | 23 |
| History | |
| Opened | 1854 |
| Former Owner(s) | East Indian Railway Company |
| Electrified | 1954[1] |
| Train(s) | Duronto Express, Rajdhani Express |
Howrah Station is one of the four intercity train stations serving Howrah and Kolkata, India; the others are Sealdah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata railway station in Kolkata. Howrah is situated on the West bank of the Hooghly River, linked to Kolkata by the magnificent Howrah Bridge which is an icon of Kolkata. It is the second-oldest station and the largest railway complex in India.
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In 1854 the British colonial government in India started building a rail link from Kolkata to the coalfields in Bardhaman district. This was the second railway line constructed in India after the first one from Mumbai to Thane in 1853. The line started from Howrah, then a small town on the west shore of the Hooghly River.
Initial plans for the first Howrah station were submitted by George Turnbull the Chief Engineer of the East Indian Railway Company on 17 June 1851. In January 1852, it became clear that the government authorities would not sanction the purchase of sufficient land nor the necessary waterfrontage despite remonstrations from Turnbull that the terminus would grow enormously. In May 1852, the detailed station plans were the major work of him and his team of engineers. In October four tenders for building the station were received varying from 190,000 to 274,526 INR against an estimate of 250,000 INR.[2][3]
Due to a great increase of traffic, a new station building was proposed in 1901. The new station was designed by the British architect Halsey Ricardo. It was brought into service on 1 December 1905.[4] This building is the current Howrah station building. The station had 15 platform tracks.
It was expanded in the 1980s with the addition of 8 platform tracks in an area to the south of the station which previously had a parcels terminal, bringing the track count up to 23. At the same time a new Yatri Niwas (transit passenger facility) was built south of the original head house.
There are currently 23 platforms in Howrah Station (1-15 for Eastern Railway; 16-23 for South Eastern Railway).
The station is served by the Eastern Railway for local trains to Belur Math, Tarakeswar, Katwa, Bandel, Sheoraphuli, Bardhaman and numerous intermediate stations (see Main Line, Chord and Tarakeswar branch line); and mail/express trains to Central, North and North-East India. A narrow gauge line connects Bardhaman and Katwa and is currently served by DMU trains (all other lines run EMU trains). There is a plan to extend the suburban train service from Bardhaman to Mankar and Guskara, by electrifying the Khana–Guskara existing stretch, which is currently served by diesel loco hauled trains. The Bardhaman–Mankar stretch is now served by electric loco hauled trains.
The South Eastern Railway serves local trains to Amta, Mecheda, Panskura, Tamluk, Haldia, Kanthi, Medinipur and Kharagpur; and mail/express trains to Central, West and South India. The Tamluk–Kanthi stretch is currently under electrification and until complete, it will be served by DMU trains (all other lines run EMU trains). There is a plan to extend the suburban train service from Kharagpur to Jhargram and Narayangarh. Both stretches are now served by electric loco (EMU) hauled trains.
Trains from this station serve the Kolkata urban area via the Kolkata suburban railway, the state of West Bengal, and most major cities of India. Its twenty-three platforms handle over six hundred trains each day, serving more than a million passengers. It is served by two zones of the Indian Railways: Eastern Railway and South Eastern Railway.
The station is operated by the Eastern Railway.
South Eastern Railway was previously known as the Bengal-Nagpur Railway (BNR, derisively called "Be Never Regular" because of its notorious tardiness) which built the truck route from Kolkata to Nagpur connecting to Great Indian Peninsular (GIP) route to Mumbai and the trunk route to Vijayawada Junction connecting with the GIP route to Chennai. Eastern Railway was previously known as East Indian Railway (EIR) which built the trunk route from Kolkata to Delhi and beyond.
Four of India's most important trunk rail routes end in Howrah. They are Howrah-Delhi, Howrah-Mumbai, Howrah-Chennai and Howrah-Guwahati. Today there are 23 platforms in Howrah Junction /Central. The first Rajdhani Express in the country ran between Howrah and New Delhi in 1969. Eastern Railway handles trains for northern, north-western, north-eastern & eastern India through Barddhaman line & Katwa line. South Eastern Railway handles trains for southern, south-western, south-eastern, western & central India through Medinipur Line. Kanthi line is also serving long distance intrastate trains.
The Eastern Railway and South Eastern Railway section are connected by two links, one is Lilua-Tikiaparha link , and other is Rajchandrapur/Dankuni-Bankrha link , currently used by only goods trains. There are proposals to introduce passenger train service on these two links to facilitate quick travel between the two sections avoiding Howrah.
1.Howrah--Bhopal Exp.
2.Howrah--Indore Shipra Exp.
3.Howrah--Gwalior Chambal Exp.
4.Howrah--Jabalpur Shaktipunj Exp.
5.Howrah--Puri Exp.
6.Howrah--Asansol--Dhanbad--Bokaro--Ranchi Intercity Exp.
7.Howrah--Ghatsila--Ranchi Intercity Exp.
8.Howrah--Bangalore Exp. (Announced)
9.Howrah--Asansol--Dhanbad--Gaya--New Delhi Poorva Exp.
10.Howrah--Patna--New Delhi Poorva Exp.
11.Howrah--Toofan Exp.
12.Howrah--Patna--New Delhi Rajdhani Exp.
13.Howrah--Asansol--Dhanbad--Gaya--New Delhi Rajdhani Exp.
14.Howrah--Patna JanShatabdi Exp.
15.Howrah--New Delhi Exp.
16.Howrah--Delhi Janata Exp.
17.Howrah--Delhi--Kalka Mail.
18.Howrah--Danapur Exp.
19.Howrah--Gaya Exp.
20.Howrah--Jamalpur Exp.
21.Howrah--Gaya--Allahabad--Mumbai Mail.
22.Howrah--Patna-Allahabad--Mumbai Mail.
23.Howrah--Varanasi Vibhuti Exp.
24.Howrah--Sambalpur Ishpat Exp.
25.Howrah--Mumbai Gitanjali Exp.
26.Howrah--Nagpur--Mumbai Mail.
27.Howrah--Pune Azad Hind Exp.
28.Howrah--Lokmanya Tilak(T) Jnyaneswari Exp.
29.Howrah--Lokmanya Tilak(T) Samarashtra Exp.
30.Howrah--Mumbai Exp.
31.[[Howrah--Chennai Coromandal Exp.]]
32.Howrah--Koraput Exp.
33.Howrah--Bhubneswar JanShatabdi Exp.
34.Howrah--Puri Jaggannath Exp.
35.Howrah--Chennai Mail.
36.Howrah--Puri Exp.
37.Howrah--puri weekly Exp.
38.Howrah--Vasco Da Gana Amravati Exp.
39.Howrah--Puri Garib Rath Exp.
40.Howrah--Derhadoon Upasana Exp.
41.Howrah--Amritsar Exp.
42.Howrah--Amritsar Mail.
43.Howrah--Derhadoon Doon Exp.
44.Howrah--Azimhanj Ganadevta Exp.
45.Howrah--Rampurhat Exp.
46.Howrah--JammuTwai Himgiri Exp.
47.Howrah--Bolpur Shantiniketan Exp.
48.Howrah--Malda Town Intercity Exp.
49.Howrah--Dibrugarh Town Kamroop Exp.
50.Howrah--Malda Town JanShatabdi Exp.
51.Howrah--Guwhati Saraighat Exp.
52.Guwhati--Howrah--Thirubanthapuram Exp.
53.Guwhati--Howrah--Secendrabad Exp.
54.Guwhati--Howrah--Bangalore Exp.
55.Howrah--Thiruchirapalli Exp.
56.Howrah--Kanyakumari Exp.
57.Howrah--Yesvantapur Exp.
58.Howrah--Secunderabad Falaknuma Exp.
60.Howrah--Hyderabad East Coast Exp.
61.Howrah--Ahmedabad Exp.
62.Howrah--Dhanbad Coal Field Exp.
63.Howrah--Dhanbad Black Diamond Exp.
64.Howrah--Muzzaffarpur Janasadharan Exp.
65.Howrah--Rajgir Exp.
66.Howrah--Ruxul Mithila Exp.
67.Howrah--Kathgodam Bagh Exp.
68.Howrah--Asansol Agneebeena Exp.
69.Howrah--Jodhpur/Bikaneer Exp.
70.Howrah--Gandhidham Exp.
71.Howrah--Haridwar Exp.
72.Howrah--Indore Special
73.Howrah--Bokaro--Ranchi Shatabdi Exp.
74.Howrah--Purulia Rupasi Bangla Exp.
75.Howrah--Barbil JanShatabdi Exp.
76.Howrah--Tata Nagar Steel Exp.
77.Howrah--Hathia Exp.
78.Howrah--Siuri Exp.
79.Howrah--Digha weekly Exp.
80.Howrah--Digha Kandari Exp.
81.Howrah--Digha Tamrolipto Exp.
82.Muzzaffarpur--Howrah--Yesvantapur Exp.
83.Bhagalpur--Howrah--Yesvantapur Exp.
84.Howrah--Rewa Exp.
85.Guwhati--Howrah--Ernakulam Exp.
86.Dibrugarh--Howrah--Yesvantapur Exp.
87.Howrah--Bhadrak Baghajatin Exp.
88.Howrah--Mumbai Duronto Exp.
89.New Jalpaiguri--Howrah--Digha Pahariya Exp.
90.Howrah--Kalka Mail.
91.Howrah--JHODHPUR BIKANER SUPERFAST EXPRESS.
91. Howrah Yesvantpur Express
92. Howrah yesvanthpur Duronto Express
Howrah Station houses the divisional headquarters of the Howrah Division of Eastern Railway zone of Indian Railways.
For passengers it has an enormous covered waiting area between the main complex and the platforms. The main complex has waiting and retiring rooms for passengers awaiting connecting trains. In addition there is a Yatri Niwas with dormitory/ single room/ double room accommodation. The vehicular carriageways along the length of platforms allow passengers to be dropped near rail compartments - a facility unique among most major stations of the country.
The station complex includes the following:
South Eastern railway's EMU car shed and electric loco shed are situated respectively at Tikiapara and Santragachhi. The Howrah Railway Complex also has a Railway Carriage and Wagons Workshop at Liluah, one of the three in the Eastern Railways. The other two being at Kanchrapara and Jamalpur.
North of the station there is now a new Railway Museum displaying artifacts of historical importance related to the development of Eastern Railway.
Before 1992, there was a tram terminus at Howrah station. Trams departed from here towards Rajabazar, Sealdah Station, High Court, Dalhousie Square, Park Circus and Shyambazar. Trams also departed from here towards Bandhaghat and Shibpur. That terminus was partially closed in 1971 for closure of the Bandhaghat and Shibpur lines. Many unauthorised vehicles and people took over the tram-track carrying streets and it was impossible to continue the tram service on these routes. The state government wanted to close these lines rather than control buses, taxis, rickshaws and people to allow free tram movemant. After these closures, the part of the terminus which served these two lines was re-constructed for underpasses and a bus terminus. But the other part still functioned until 1992, when the Rabindra Setu (Howrah Bridge) was declared not fit to carry trams, because it is a cantilever bridge. The tram line ran from the opening of the bridge until 1992. Previously routes 11, 20, 26, 30 & 32 served this terminus. Now the terminus is used by buses, and all trams for Howrah station now depart from Barhabazar (1 km away). Some poles and stretches of track still exist.
When the Kolkata metro line 2 is built, it will pass through Howrah.
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