As West Bengal heads into assembly elections, movement on the ground is beginning to pick up. Many residents of the state who work in different parts of the country are now planning trips back home to cast their votes. The impact of the election season is visible not just politically, but also on railway tracks.
To manage this surge, the Railways has stepped in with a series of special trains. The aim is simple. Ensure that voters living across different parts of the country can reach their polling booths on time and without much hassle. Around 16 special trains are passing through the Bilaspur route. Some are already running, while others are scheduled to start a few days before polling.
Voting in West Bengal on April 23 and 29
Polling in West Bengal is set to take place on April 23 and 29. Interestingly, the Howrah route, which had been facing delays for months, has seen a sudden improvement over the past week, with trains running on time. This shift is being directly linked to the upcoming elections.
Railway authorities have focused on cities where a large number of voters from West Bengal, Assam and parts of South India live and work. For instance, special trains have been introduced on routes like Pune, LTT and Valsad, connecting to Santragachi and Kharagpur. This is meant to help voters travelling from Maharashtra and Gujarat.
In the Bilaspur zone, routes like Durg, Gondia and Itwari are expected to assist passengers heading towards West Bengal. Similarly, in the Patna and Raxaul corridor, special trains are targeting regions like Malda, Dinajpur, Birbhum and Haldia, which are considered important from an election perspective.
There has also been a change in earlier cancellations. The Shalimar LTT Express, which was cancelled till April 24 due to maintenance work at Gondia, has now been rescheduled and restored ahead of the elections. In addition, a new weekly train has been introduced between Shalimar and Itwari.
List of special trains
- LTT–Santragachi–LTT: Running from April 21 to July 24 with 13 trips in each direction.
- Hatia–LTT–Hatia: Operating from April 20 to June 15 with 9 trips. This connects Hatia to the Purulia region in West Bengal.
- Patna–Charlapalli–Patna: From April 8 to May 27, running every Monday and Wednesday with 15 trips each way. Important for passengers from Dinajpur, Malda, Darjeeling and Siliguri.
- Tirupati–Raxaul–Tirupati: Running on April 13, 20 and 27 with a total of 7 trips. Connects via Raxaul to Haldia, Bardhaman, Panagarh and Birbhum.
- Gondia–Raxaul–Gondia: Operating from April 25 to June 27, linking major areas of West Bengal through Raxaul.
- Charlapalli–Raxaul–Charlapalli: Running from April 12 to May 31.
- Pune–Santragachi–Pune: Special trips on April 15 and 22.
- Valsad–Kharagpur–Valsad: Special service on April 15 and 22.
- LTT–Santragachi–LTT: Additional trips on April 17 and 24.
- Pune–Santragachi–Pune: Special runs on April 17 and 25.
- Udhna–Santragachi–Udhna: Trips on April 17, 22 and 24.
- LTT–Santragachi–LTT: Extra service on April 24 and May 1.
- Durg–Shalimar–Durg: One special trip on April 22.
- Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Itwari–Malda Town–Itwari: Running on April 19, 20 and 26 as a special service.
Report: Sikander Khan, Bilaspur
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