Barddhaman Junction railway station

Barddhaman Junction Railway Station (station code: BWN) is a railway junction station on the Howrah–Delhi main line and is located in Purba Bardhaman District in the Indian state of West Bengal. EMU services from Howrah along Howrah–Bardhaman main line and Howrah–Bardhaman chord terminate at Bardhaman. Every day, over 300 express/mail/SF trains halt here, making it one of the busiest and important junction railway station in Eastern India. It serves Bardhaman, the fifth most populous city in West Bengal.[2]

Barddhaman Junction
Indian Railways and Kolkata Suburban Railway station
Barddhaman Junction railway station
General information
LocationGrand Trunk Road, Bardhaman, West Bengal
 India
Coordinates23°15′00″N 87°52′12″E / 23.250041°N 87.869995°E / 23.250041; 87.869995
Elevation34.00 metres (111.55 ft)
Owned byIndian Railways
Operated byEastern Railway
Line(s)Howrah–Delhi main line,
Howrah–Gaya–Delhi line,
Howrah–Prayagraj–Mumbai line,
Howrah–New Jalpaiguri line,
Howrah–Bardhaman main line,
Howrah–Bardhaman chord,
Bardhaman–Asansol section,
Bardhaman–Katwa line
Platforms8
Tracks10
ConnectionsBus stand, Taxi stand
Construction
Structure typeStandard (On-ground station)
ParkingYes
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleDisabled access Available
Other information
StatusFunctioning
Station codeBWN
Zone(s) Eastern Railway Zone
Division(s) Howrah
History
Opened1855; 169 years ago (1855)
Electrified1958
Previous namesEast Indian Railway Company
Passengers
3.5lakh/per day
Services
Preceding station Indian Railways Following station
Terminus Eastern Railway zone Talit
Preceding station Kolkata Suburban Railway Following station
Gangpur Eastern Line Terminus
Eastern Line Kamnara
Location
Bardhaman Junction is located in West Bengal
Bardhaman Junction
Bardhaman Junction
Location in West Bengal
Bardhaman Junction is located in India
Bardhaman Junction
Bardhaman Junction
Location in India

History

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Barddhaman Junction is an important station in the Eastern Railway zone. Trains from Howrah, Sealdah, Kolkata towards Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay, Gaya etc. go through the station. The station consists of eight platforms.

The first passenger train ran from Howrah to Bardhaman on 15 August 1855.

The track was extended to Raniganj by 1855.[3]

The Howrah–Bardhaman chord, a shorter link to Bardhaman from Howrah than the Howrah–Bardhaman main line, was constructed in 1917.[4]

Bardhaman–Katwa line was upgraded from NG to BG in 2014 (up to Balgona) and extended up to Katwa in 2018.

Barddhaman RRI

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It has Siemens interlocking[clarification needed] and it was commissioned in 2014. New route relay interlocking (RRI) has considerably increased train punctuality.

Electrification

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Electrification of the Howrah–Bardhaman main line was completed with 25 kV AC overhead system in 1958. Earlier, electrification started (on the Howrah–Bandel sector) with 3 kV DC overhead system in 1953.[5]

The Howrah–Bardhaman chord was electrified in 1964–66.[6] The Bardhaman–Katwa line was electrified in 2014 (up to Balgona) and 2018 (up to Katwa jn).

Amenities

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Barddhaman railway station has two-bedded non-AC retiring rooms and four bedded non-AC dormitories. The station platforms are equipped with high speed Wi-Fi access provided by Google and RailWire. All platforms are equipped with escalators (1-8) with a lift facility in platform number 6-7. Automated ticket vending machines are at both sides of the station where tickets can be purchased by cash, card, or UTS mobile system. IRCTC vendors offer various types of food at the station platforms. Purified and cold water is available at platforms.

Bardhaman Coaching & Wagon Depot

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Bardhaman Coaching & Wagon Depot can maintain passenger trains EMU and MEMU, including one DEMU rake. It has a capacity of holding 71 coaches.[7]

Barddhaman Loco Shed

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The shed was commissioned in September 1983

SN Locomotives HP Quantity
1. WAG-5 3850 72
2. WAG-7 5350 28
Total Locomotives Active as of July 2024 100

Incidents

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On two different dates, April 6 and 13 of 2003, employees of a private security agency fired at fleeing coal thieves, injuring a passerby and on the later date, a hawker. Following these incidents, a large mob comprising the station's hawkers and residents of the area clashed with police forces ,leading to a baton charge and arrests on April 14, 2003.[8]

On Friday, 9 November 2019, several people were injured in a stampede over a footbridge at the station.[9]

On Saturday, 4 January 2020, a major portion of the main entrance gate of the railway station collapsed, injuring several people. Construction activities were taking place at the site of the accident.[10][11]

On 13 December 2023, a water tank in Platform 2 and 3 in the station suddenly collapsed during afternoon.

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References

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  1. ^ "Howrah Division System Map". ER Railway.
  2. ^ "Urban Agglomerations/Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (PDF). Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  3. ^ "IR History Part I 1832–1869". IRFCA. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  4. ^ "The Chronology of Railway development in Eastern Indian". Rail India. Archived from the original on 16 March 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  5. ^ "IR History Part IV (1947–1970)". IRFCA. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  6. ^ "History of Electrification". IRFCA. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  7. ^ "Carriage and Wagon / Howrah Division" (PDF). Indian Railways. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  8. ^ "Rogue shot hits station hawker in Burdwan". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  9. ^ "11 hurt in Burdwan station stampede – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  10. ^ "Burdwan station collapse live updates: Part of entrance gate at Barddhaman railway station collapses". The Times of India. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  11. ^ "Railway Station Building In West Bengal Collapses, 2 Injured". NDTV. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
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