Siliguri Junction
শিলিগুড়ি জংশন |
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Indian Railway Junction Station | |
Siliguri Railway Station
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Location | Hill Cart Road, Patiram Jote, Pradhan Nagar, Siliguri–734001 Dist: Darjeeling, West Bengal India |
Coordinates | 26°43′24″N 88°24′50″E / 26.7234°N 88.4138°ECoordinates: 26°43′24″N 88°24′50″E / 26.7234°N 88.4138°E |
Elevation | 120 metres (390 ft) |
Owned by | Indian Railways |
Operated by | North East Frontier Railway |
Line(s) | New Jalpaiguri-Alipurduar-Samuktala Road line, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway |
Platforms | 4 |
Tracks | 7 |
Construction | |
Structure type | Standard on ground |
Parking | Available |
Other information | |
Status | Functioning |
Station code | SGUJ |
Division(s) | Katihar |
History | |
Opened | 1949 |
Electrified | In Progress |
Location | |
Siliguri Junction is one of the three railway stations that serve Siliguri in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The other two stations are: Siliguri Town and New Jalpaiguri. It is the only station of India having all three Track Gauges i.e.; Broad Gauge, Metre Gauge & Narrow Gauge.
With the railway routes badly disturbed by the partition of India in 1947, Siliguri Town railway station suddenly lost its pre-eminence, as the broad gauge link to Calcutta, running across East Pakistan, was lost. With three metre gauge lines, the new Siliguri Junction railway station became the main railway station in the area. The three metre gauge lines were linked to Kishanganj and Barsoi, Assam and Haldibari. The narrow gauge Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was there. The short reign was over in the 1960s when a new broad gauge line linked Siliguri with Calcutta, and subsequently, all railway lines in the area (excepting Darjeeling Himalayan Railway) were converted to broad gauge. The focus shifted in 1961 to a brand new broad gauge station at New Jalpaiguri.
Amenities at Siliguri Junction include: Waiting room, retiring room, tourist information centre, and book stall. West Bengal Tourist Office and Tenzing Norgay central bus terminal are located close to the railway station.Siliguri Junction has three two-bedded retiring rooms and a four-bedded dormitory.
Distance from Siliguri Junction: Bagdogra Airport 14 km, New Jalpaiguri railway station 8 km, Darjeeling 80 km, Gangtok 120 km, Thimphu 350 km.