Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday flagged off the newly introduced Santragachi–Khatipura (Jaipur)–Santragachi Express via video conferencing. The initiative marks a significant step towards strengthening long-distance rail infrastructure and inter-state connectivity across West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
The inaugural event at Santragachi station witnessed the presence of key dignitaries, including West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, Minister for Panchayat and Rural Development Dilip Ghosh, alongside local MLAs Rudranil Ghosh and Dr Rajesh Kumar. South Eastern Railway (SER) General Manager Anil Kumar Jain and Kharagpur Divisional Railway Manager Lalit Mohan Pandey were also present alongside senior railway officials. A parallel inaugural event took place at Tatanagar railway station, attended by Member of Parliament Bidyut Baran Mahato, MLAs Saryu Roy and Purnima Sahu, and Chakradharpur Divisional Railway Manager Tarun Huria.
According to a South Eastern Railway spokesperson, regular services for train numbers 18061/18062 will commence on November 4 from Santragachi and on 6 November from Khatipura.
Under the scheduled timetable, Train 18061 (Santragachi–Khatipura Express) will depart Santragachi every Wednesday at 2.15 pm and reach Khatipura at 11.00 pm the following day. On its return journey, Train 18062 (Khatipura–Santragachi Express) will depart Khatipura every Friday at 9.15 am, arriving at Santragachi at 7.45 pm the next day.
En route, the weekly service will halt at major junctions, including Kharagpur, Tatanagar, Chandil, Purulia, Muri, Ranchi, Lohardaga, Tori, Latehar, Barwadih, Daltonganj, Garhwa Road, Japla, Dehri on Sone, Sasaram, Bhabua Road, Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, Mirzapur, Prayagraj, Fatehpur, Kanpur Central, Tundla, Idgah Agra, Kherli, Mandawar Mahwa Road, Bandikui, and Dausa.
The introduction of the new weekly train service is expected to significantly benefit commuters, business professionals, students, and workers traveling across the five States.