Siliguri Junction railway station
Siliguri Junction (station code:- SGUJ) is one of the three railway stations that serve the city of Siliguri located in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The other two stations are: Siliguri Town and New Jalpaiguri. It has 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge and narrow-gauge tracks. It formerly had the distinction of having three gauges but the metre-gauge line from Aluabari Road to Siliguri Junction was converted later into broad gauge. Few years ago train bus used to run between Siliguri Junction to Naksalbari by the metre-gauge line..
Siliguri Junction | |
|---|---|
| Express train and Passenger train station | |
 Siliguri Junction railway station | |
| Location | Hill Cart Road, Patiram Jote, Pradhan Nagar, Siliguri–734001, Darjeeling district, West Bengal India |
| Coordinates | 26.7234°N 88.4138°E |
| Elevation | 120 metres (390 ft) |
| Owned by | Indian Railways |
| Operated by | Northeast Frontier Railways |
| Line(s) | New Jalpaiguri–Alipurduar–Samuktala Road line, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Katihar–Siliguri line |
| Platforms | 6 (4 broad gauge, 1 narrow gauge, 1 metre gauge) |
| Tracks | 10 |
| Connections | Auto rickshaw, E-rickshaw, Bus, Taxi, Cabs, Bike Taxi |
| Construction | |
| Structure type | Standard on ground |
| Parking | Yes |
| Other information | |
| Status | Functioning |
| Station code | SGUJ |
| Zone(s) | Northeast Frontier Railway zone |
| Division(s) | Katihar |
| History | |
| Opened | 1949 |
| Electrified | Work in Progress |
| Passengers | |
| 50,000/day | |
| Location | |
  Siliguri Junction Location in West Bengal  Siliguri Junction Location in India | |
Railways in the Siliguri area | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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History
With the railway routes badly disturbed by the partition of India in 1947, Siliguri Town railway station suddenly lost its preeminence as the broad-gauge link to Calcutta running across East Pakistan. With three metre-gauge lines, the new Siliguri Junction railway station became the main railway station in the area. The three metre-gauge lines were linked to Kishanganj and Barsoi, Assam and Haldibari. The narrow gauge Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was there. The short reign was over in the 1960s when a new broad-gauge line linked Siliguri with Calcutta, and subsequently, all railway lines in the area (excepting Darjeeling Himalayan Railway) were converted to broad gauge. The focus shifted in 1960 to a brand new broad-gauge station at New Jalpaiguri.[1]
Amenities
Amenities at Siliguri Junction include: Waiting room, Retiring room, Tourist Information Centre, Book stalls and some variety stores. Tenzing Norgay central bus terminal is located just outside this railway station and West Bengal Tourism Office is also located nearby.[2] Siliguri Junction has three two-bedded retiring rooms and a four-bedded dormitory.[3]
Distance from Siliguri Junction: Bagdogra Airport 14 km (8.7 mi), New Jalpaiguri railway station 8 km (5.0 mi), Darjeeling 80 km (50 mi), Gangtok 120 km (75 mi), Thimphu 350 km (220 mi).[2]
City transportation
Buses
The North Bengal State Transport Corporation operates bus services from Siliguri Junction railway station to Siliguri city and suburban areas, Also private buses runs between all over the city from Siliguri Junction railway station. The Tenzing Norgay central bus terminal is beside to the Siliguri junction railway station, so long-route buses are also available from near the railway station.
Cars
Siliguri junction railway station is located in the middle of the Siliguri city, so it is very easy to reach the railway station.
Ride aggregator services Uber, Rapido, Ola provide rides from the train station to various parts of the city. One can also book private cabs to go Darjeeling, Gangtok and all over hill areas. Apart from these numerous private taxi operators provide pre-paid and post-paid taxi services to the city. E-rickshaw, City auto facilities are available in the station.
Diesel loco shed
A Diesel Loco Shed, Siliguri was established at Siliguri in 1961 and a new broad-gauge diesel loco shed was established in 2007. WDP 4 and WDG 4 locos were transferred from Hubli. It is home to the WDP-4 loco "Baaz". Nowadays it is also holds WDP 4B, WDP 4D & WDG 4D locomotives.
References
- Alastair Boobyer. "India: the complex history of the junctions at Siliguri and New Jalpaiguri". IRFCA. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
- "Siliguri railway station". make my trip. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
- "Retiring rooms in North East Frontier Railway". Indian Railways. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
External links
- Siliguri Junction railway station at the India Rail Info
Siliguri travel guide from Wikivoyage
| Preceding station | Indian Railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast Frontier Railway zone | ||||
| Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Siliguri–Darjeeling light railway | ||||
| Terminus | Northeast Frontier Railway zone | |||
| Terminus | Northeast Frontier Railway zone Siliguri–Bagdogra metre-gauge line |
