Jaipur-Tatanagar-Santragachi Express Train Flagged Off

A new express train linking Jaipur (Khatipura) with Tatanagar and Santragachi was flagged off on 26 October 2026 by Union Minister for Railways Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw and the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Shri Suvendu Adhikari. The Railway Minister took part through video conferencing. Shri Dilip Ghosh, Minister in the West Bengal government, Mayor Shri Sunil Kothari and Members of Parliament Shri Bidyut Baran Mahato and Smt. Manju Sharma were among those present.

Which states the train serves

By joining Jaipur to Jamshedpur and Kolkata, the service improves rail links across five states: Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. The Minister said migrant workers living in Rajasthan, trading communities and students travelling between these regions would gain the most from it, and that better services of this kind help employment, education and trade alike.

Railway spending in Jharkhand

Speaking on Jharkhand, Shri Vaishnaw said the state's railway budget allocation has risen from Rs 450 crore to Rs 7,500 crore, about 16 times the earlier figure, and that projects worth roughly Rs 75,000 crore are under way there. 57 stations in Jharkhand are being rebuilt under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, and work has already finished at Godda, Govindpur Road, Lohardaga, Madhupur and Muri.

Stations and lines in West Bengal

Across the country more than 1,300 stations have been taken up under the same scheme, among them Santragachi, Jalpaiguri Road, Joychandi Pahar, Haldia and Kamakhyaguri in West Bengal. The Minister said the Howrah-Kharagpur-Chakulia-Tatanagar corridor is being widened to four lines. He also reported that the 4.5 kilometre stretch connected to the Beleghata-IT Centre section of the Kolkata Metro is complete and trial runs have begun, which will give the stretch a link with the Green Line.

What the Chief Minister said

Chief Minister Shri Suvendu Adhikari thanked the Railway Minister for the infrastructure work being taken up in his state. He noted that West Bengal's annual average railway allocation was Rs 4,380 crore in the years from 2009 to 2014, and stands at Rs 14,205 crore for 2026-27. That higher investment, he said, would help build railway infrastructure and improve connectivity in the state. The Railway Minister added that planning keeps in view middle-class and economically weaker families, for whom the railways remain the main affordable means of travel.