The Anand Vihar-bound Rajdhani Express from Agartala stopped at Malda Town station for the first time on Tuesday, much to the elation of residents of Malda and the neighbouring districts.

Residents of Malda have been demanding for years that they get the service of Rajdhani Express, a premium train which connects the national capital with different parts of the country.

Vikash Chaube, the divisional railway manager of the Eastern Railway in Malda, said: “From today, Rajdhani Express will stop in Malda, on the way to Anand Vihar and Agartala. Two additional coaches have been added to the train.”

Every Tuesday, the train will reach Malda Town at 3pm and will depart for Anand Vihar at 3.10pm. It will reach Anand Vihar at 10.50am the following day.

The train will leave Anad Vihar at 7.50pm on Wednesday to reach Malda Town at 4.25pm the following day.

Four berths on an AC first-class coach, 43 berths on AC two-tier coaches and 157 berths on AC three-tier coaches would be available for passengers who board
the train from Malda Town station or reach here from New Delhi.

Railway officials said if one took the RajdhanI Express from Malda, he could reach New Delhi in less than 20 hours.

“This is around 10 to 12 hours less than the travel time of other Delhi-bound trains like Brahmaputra Mail or Farakka Express which are available from Malda now,” said an official.

Sudarshan Majumdar, a Malda resident who took the train on Tuesday with his wife Mala to reach Kanpur, appreciated the decision.

“It is good that the railway authorities have met a longstanding demand of Malda. Earlier, we had to go to Calcutta or New Jalpaiguri to
take the Rajdhani Express. Now, at least once a week, we can avail the train,” said Sudarshan.

The stop of Rajdhani Express prompted BJP leaders to underscore the new train services which were introduced in Malda in recent years.

“Earlier, Malda got the stop of Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express. Subsequently, the Amrit Bharat Express connecting Malda with Bengaluru was introduced and from today, Rajdhani
Express will stop here.

“It is evident that the central government and the railways are giving impetus to the district and the region as a whole,” said Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury, the Englishbazar BJP MLA.