Kolkata Circular Railway

Circular Rail is one of the convenient ways of getting around in Kolkata, the capital city of West Bengal. Previously, the central part of Kolkata was not served by any rail network unlike other big cities. With the increasing population the demand for a rail network within the city was high. Circular Rail running through the banks of Hoogly River in Kolkata provided the necessary solution. Maintained by the Eastern Railways it is now providing excellent connectivity throughout the city. No other place in West Bengal, however, is served by the Circular Rail.

The Circular Rail has its stations in Dum Dum, Patipukur, Belgachia, Tala, Ultadanga Road, Bagbazar, Shovabazar, Chitpur, Burrabazar, B.B.D. Bagh, Prinsep Ghat, Hastings, Kidderpore, Remount Road, mMajherhat, New Alipore, Tollygunge, Lake Gardens, Ballygunge, Sir Gurudas Banerjee Halt, Bidhannagar Road and back again to Dum Dum.

The Kolkata Circular Rail is in the process of extension by 3.8 kms from Dum Dum Cantonment to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport through Jessop, Jessore Road, VIP Road, and the Kolkata airport domestic terminal road. Another extension in progress is of the 5.8 kms stretch from Majherhat to Prinsep Ghat covering the entire periphery of Kolkata and would be very beneficial for the people of Behala and Budge Budge zone. Surveys are on to stretch the Circular Rail further, covering routes from Ultadanga to Rajarhat and from Barrackpore to Sonarpur via Rajarhat New Town. These, together with the existing Circular Rail network, would practically cover the whole of the city as also the greater Kolkata.