Purnia: Travelling from Purnia to Siliguri, Darjeeling and Gangtok has now become much easier and faster. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the Katihar–Siliguri Intercity train, a move that is being welcomed by passengers and tourism operators alike. Until now, travellers from Purnia had to rely on long and often tiring road journeys to reach Siliguri before heading to the hills. The new train will cover a distance of 230 km in just 5 hours and 20 minutes, saving time and making the journey more comfortable. This new service is expected to attract tourists, students and business travellers who frequently travel between Bihar and North Bengal.
The Katihar–Siliguri Intercity will leave Katihar at 5 am every day and reach Purnia Junction at 5.25 am, where it will halt for two minutes. After Purnia, it will stop at Kasba, Jalalgarh and Araria Court before continuing its journey through Rahmatpur, Bansbari, Khawaspur, Lakshmipur, Kaliaganj, Tedhagachh, Bibiganj, Pauakhali, Thakurganj, Galgalia, Naxalbari and Bagdogra. It will finally reach Siliguri at 10.15 am. The same train will return from Siliguri at 12.45 pm and reach Katihar at 6.05 pm. Its average speed will be about 43 km per hour, which is considered quite good for a passenger train with so many halts. Regular passengers believe this will save both time and money compared to road travel.
Apart from the Intercity train, a Vande Bharat Express has also been announced for this route. The Vande Bharat will run from Forbesganj to Danapur via Purnia Junction and Banmankhi Junction. It will start from Forbesganj at 3.30 pm and reach Danapur at 11.40 pm, covering a distance of 453 km at an average speed of about 55 km per hour. On the way, it will stop at Araria Court, Purnia Junction, Banmankhi, Dauram Madhepura, Saharsa, Khagaria, Samastipur, Muzaffarpur and Hajipur. This service is expected to benefit passengers looking for a faster, premium travel experience within Bihar.
Another major announcement is the introduction of the weekly Amrit Bharat train from Jogbani to Erode, which is a very long-distance train connecting Bihar with Tamil Nadu. It will travel a total of 3,129 km in about 63 hours and 30 minutes. The train will leave Jogbani every week at 3.30 pm, reach Purnia Junction at 4.45 pm and leave at 4.47 pm. After a long journey through several states, it will reach Erode on Thursday morning at 5.30 am. This train will be very useful for people travelling to southern India for work, trade and family visits.
With these new train services, connectivity from Purnia is expected to improve significantly. Passengers will have more options to travel to North Bengal, Patna and even Tamil Nadu. Tourism operators have said that this will help bring more visitors to Darjeeling and Gangtok and will boost the local economy. Traders and daily passengers are also happy with the announcements as they will get faster and more reliable trains for long-distance and local journeys.
