A senior state bureaucrat has written to the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), requesting immediate resumption of intercity express trains in north Bengal that were stopped amid the pandemic-induced lockdown.
On December 2, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, secretary of state transport department, sent the letter to NFR general manager, saying that commercial activities were slowly progressing towards normality in the region, and trade bodies had repeatedly appealed for the resumption of local train services.
“The Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry, North Bengal, requested the state government to take necessary steps for resumption of the intercity express train services in north Bengal, as the economic activities across north Bengal are gradually becoming normal. In this connection, I am to request you to let us know the views of the railway authority at the earliest for taking further necessary action from our end,” Sinha’s letter reads.
In Calcutta and some other parts of south Bengal, the railways have resumed suburban passenger services from November 11 and non-suburban local passenger trains from December 2.
Traders are keeping their fingers crossed.
“Traders of this region are largely dependent on Siliguri. The Centre has already relaxed the lockdown in different sectors to encourage economic activities. If local passenger and express trains are restored, it will benefit the traders spread across north Bengal,” said Biswajit Das, the secretary of the Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“We appreciate that the state has immediately responded after receiving our appeal. We hope the railways make a decision now,” Das added.
Before the outbreak of the pandemic, around 2.5 lakh passengers used to travel in these trains every day, said sources. Without them, commuters have to spend more time, money and effort to reach their destinations. According to sources, over 80 pairs of passenger trains and another 60 pairs of DEMU rakes run in north Bengal.
While some are routed through the Dooars and several districts, there are local trains to destinations in lower Assam and Katihar in Bihar.
