
New Weekly Humsafar Express Train to Enhance Connectivity in Bengal, ET Infra
Advt
The Indian Railways has decided to introduce a new weekly train service from Sealdah to Jalpaiguri Road , providing additional connectivity between south and north Bengal via the newly inaugurated Nashipur rail bridge over river Bhagirathi, an official said on Thursday.The regular service of 13115/13116 Sealdah-Jalpaiguri Road-Sealdah Humsafar Express will commence from Sealdah from June 20, and from Jalpaiguri Road from the next day, the Eastern Railway official said.The express train service through the Nashipur rail bridge route in Murshidabad district of West Bengal will benefit passengers of Ranaghat, Krishnanagar, Berhampore, Azimganj and Jangipur stations, providing faster and direct connectivity between south and north Bengal, he said.The 13115 Sealdah-Jalpaiguri Road Humsafar Express will leave Sealdah at 11.40 pm every Friday to reach Jalpaiguri Road at 12 noon the next day, while the 13116 Jalpaiguri Road-Sealdah Humsafar Express will leave Jalpaiguri Road at 8.30 pm every Saturday to reach Sealdah at 8.10 am the next day, the ER official said.The train will stop at Naihati, Ranaghat, Krishnanagar City junction, Berhampore Court, Azimganj, Jangipur Road, New Farakka, Malda Town, Samsi, Barsoi, Kishanganj, Aluabari Road and New Jalpaiguri stations en route on both directions.It will have sleeper class and air-conditioned accommodations.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


India.com
8 hours ago
- India.com
Attention All! BIG change by railway in ticket booking, you can't book these tickets without…, bans first 30 minutes for…
From July 1, 2025, only Aadhaar-authenticated users will be eligible to book tickets under the Tatkal scheme, the Railway Ministry announced. In a circular issued on June 10, 2025, the ministry directed all zones to implement this measure, emphasizing that the move is to ensure the benefits of the Tatkal scheme reach common end users. With effect from 01-07-2025, tickets under Tatkal scheme can be booked through the website of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC)/ its app only by Aadhaar authenticated users, the ministry said. Subsequently, Aadhaar-based OTP authentication shall also be made compulsory for Tatkal bookings from July 15, 2025, onwards. Tatkal tickets shall be available for booking through computerized PRS (Passenger Reservation System) counters of Indian Railways/authorized agents only after authentication of a system-generated OTP, which shall be sent through the system on the mobile number furnished by the users at the time of booking. This shall also be implemented by 15/07/2025," the circular further stated. The circular also specified that authorized ticketing agents of the Indian Railways will not be permitted to book opening day Tatkal tickets during the first 30 minutes of the Tatkal booking window. Specifically, they will be restricted from booking Tatkal tickets for air-conditioned classes from 10.00 am to 10.30 am and for non-air-conditioned classes from 11.00 am to 11.30 am. The ministry has directed the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) and IRCTC to make the necessary modifications to the system and communicate these changes to all zonal railways. (With Inputs From PTI)


The Hindu
15 hours ago
- The Hindu
A good fix: On the IRCTC and ticket booking
The e-ticketing system of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC) is one of India's most widely used e-commerce platforms. Crores of Indian rail commuters and passengers use it to book their tickets, which makes it imperative that the system is run robustly. The scale of the operation is revealing — on May 22, 2025, the IRCTC processed a staggering 31,814 tickets in 60 seconds to set a new record. Yet, the popular e-ticketing system, especially the Tatkal booking part, is plagued by issues. Extremely high demand during peak hours, particularly during the designated Tatkal booking window period, often leads to crashes and slow performance. A major concern is that the system is exploited by ticketing agents who use unfair automated tools (or bots), leading to rapidly dwindling ticket availability for passengers. These issues are what prompted the IRCTC to announce two major steps. The first was a major digital overhaul of the ticketing infrastructure using anti-bot systems to prevent unauthorised automated bookings — a measure that led to the de-activation of a whopping 2.5 crore suspect user IDs. Implementation of a content delivery network also helped improve website performance. In addition, Aadhaar verification is necessary immediately after a ticket is booked. The IRCTC has also mandated Aadhaar authentication for all Tatkal bookings, from July 1, along with OTP-based authentication. Authorised agents have been restricted from booking Tatkal tickets during the first 30 minutes of the booking window period. The idea behind an e-ticketing platform and the provision of Tatkal booking of tickets are to provide equitable chances for passengers to travel. Despite more train services having been introduced over the years by the Indian Railways, which is a state monopoly, demand far outstrips supply, and passengers have to rely on advanced booking and Tatkal tickets for their travel. When agents use bots to game the system, it kills the purpose of equity. Therefore, the IRCTC's steps will bring relief to passengers. That said, the Indian Railways must focus not only on easing the process of ticketing but also on elevating the passenger experience in terms of increasing its train and track capacity to fulfil travel demand, ensuring safety and enhancing its facilities. Seen in this context, while these ticketing fixes are important, the true test for the Indian Railways will be its ability to move beyond just technical and administrative solutions and undertake a fundamental expansion of its services to serve India's large passenger clientele. In a way, meaningful expansion to meet the demand will also obviate the need for reworking technological solutions yet again in the future.


Time of India
18 hours ago
- Time of India
Railway strengthens Tatkal booking with Aadhaar verification and OTP authentication
Indian Railways Ferozepur: In order to ensure that the benefits of Tatkal train tickets are accessible to the common man, Indian Railways has introduced several new measures by modifying the Tatkal Scheme. According to railway authorities, Aadhaar authentication has now been made mandatory for booking Tatkal e-tickets for individual users. For Tatkal bookings at railway counters or windows, passengers or their representatives must provide a mobile number and an OTP. Only after successful verification of the mobile number and OTP will the Tatkal ticket be generated. In a significant step, the first 30 minutes of Tatkal ticket booking will be reserved exclusively for individual online users and passengers booking at the PRS counters at stations. Travel agents and authorized agencies will only be able to book tickets after this period—at 10:30 am for AC classes and 11:30 am for Non-AC classes. For non-Aadhaar users, Tatkal ticket booking can still be done at PRS counters and through authorized travel agents. From July 1, 2025, Tatkal e-ticket bookings on the IRCTC app will be permitted only for Aadhaar-verified accounts. The provision of OTP for Aadhaar authentication will be implemented by July 15, 2025, ensuring that bots or other software tools cannot book tickets faster than genuine users. Similarly, for window ticket bookings, passengers must provide a mobile number for OTP verification. This requirement will also take effect from July 15, further safeguarding the booking process for the general public.