People of South Dinajpur will have a direct train to Delhi from Monday.

On Sunday, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) announced that from Monday, April 15, the Farakka Express, which used to run between Malda Town and Bhatinda in Punjab via Delhi, will be extended till Balurghat.

According to NFR sources, the train will depart from Balurghat at 5pm every day. In the district, it will also halt in Eklakhi and Buniadpur stations. En route, it will stop at several prominent stations, including Delhi.

“It will take around 36 hours to reach Delhi and 42 hours to reach Bhatinda,” said a railway official.

Sukanta Majumdar, the Balurghat MP whom the party has fielded for the second time, is highlighting the improvement of train connectivity during his campaign.

Trinamul leaders pointed out that the extension of the train service to Balurghat, where elections would be held on April 26, was a blatant violation of the existing model code of conduct.