As the city is located in the narrow Siliguiri Corridor or the strip of land connecting India to north east states, it is one of the most important transport hubs of the north east region. The national highway number 31 passes on the west of the city and connects it to Jhumritaliaya, Koderma, Bihar Sharif, Dhakhola in Bihar and West Bengal, and then further to Kokrajhar, Nalbari, to end at Guwahati. This is the most important highway in the region as it connects the north east states and as it passes through Siliguiri, the city has come to be called the Gateway to the North East.
Siliguri falls in the North eastern Frontier Zone of the Indian Railways and has a meter gauge connection as well as a narrow gauge rail track. The narrow gauge rail track is for the heritage Darjeeling Himalayan Railway connecting the city to Darjeeling. The rail line passes through the city and has two important railway stations. One is at Siliguri Junction and the other is at Siliguri town. The meter gauge rail track connects Siliguri to Gauhati and Dibrugarh in Assam, besides Delhi. The city has the only airport in the region at Bagdogra, 15 kilometers away from the city.
Siliguri has one of the highest literacy rates in the state and has a number of educational institutions. The city caters to not only people of the state but also from the neighboring states of Sikkim, Bihar and Assam. The medium of instruction is varied - Bengali, English, along with Nepali and Hindi.
Some of the educational institutes are
- Sri Guru Vidya Mandir High School
- Margaret SN English School
- Bharati Hindi Vidyalaya
- St James High School
- Valmiki Vidyapeeth
- Goghumali High School
- Surya Sen College
- Nantu's Monalisa Art School.
- Hong Kong Market in the center of the city
- Kanchenjunga Stadium
- City garden
- Banga Bhawan
- Circuit House near the NH 31
- Dada Bhai Sporting Ground
- Radha Gobindo Mandir
- Dagapur Loknath Mandir
Last Updated on : 18/04/2013