Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will on Monday flag-off the Balurghat-Sealdah Express, which will connect the South Dinajpur district with state capital Kolkata.
Vaishnaw will flag-off the train through video conferencing at 12 pm, an official statement said. The new train will foster the socio-economic development of northern West Bengal by improving the railway connectivity, the communique said, terming it a "New Year gift" for the people of the state.
The regular service of the train will commence from Sealdah on Tuesday, and from Balurghat on Wednesday. It will be a daily service. The train will leave Sealdah at 10.30 pm and arrive at Balurghat at 8.30 am. On the other direction, the train will leave Balurghat at 7 pm, and will arrive at the Sealdah station at 4.20 am.
The train will stop at Naihati, Bandel, Nabadwipdham, Katwa, Azimganj, Jangipur Road, New Farakka, Malda Town, Eklakhi, Gazole, Buniadpur, Ganga Rampur and Rampur stations. The train will have AC 2-tier, AC 3-tier, AC 3-tier Economy, First AC, Sleeper Class and General Second Class coaches, the statement said.