RailEnquiry

KOLKATA: Long-distance and suburban train services between Howrah and Kharagpur will be fully restored from Wednesday as the third line between Panskura and Shyamchak (26.3 km) has been commissioned in record time by South Eastern Railway (SER). The non-interlocking work in this stretch started from May 28."The work was completed at 12.35pm on Tuesday, nearly 12 hours ahead of schedule. The commissioning of the third line will be of great help in smoother train running in the busy Howrah-Kharagpur stretch."Passengers will benefit as we shall have an additional line through which we can run freight trains. This was a crucial project that will result in overall development. Punctuality of trains will also improve," a senior SER official said.A number of mail/express trains were cancelled, short-terminated or diverted during this period. Many passengers travelling to destinations like Puri, Bankura and Purulia were affected as their trains were cancelled. Several suburban locals were also cancelled causing trouble for commuters. Save for an agitation by suburban commuters on one occasion, there was no trouble for the engineers engaged in the work. SER has expressed its gratitude to passengers for the co-operation.