Howrah–New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express

The Howrah–New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express is an Indian Railways Vande Bharat Express train. It connects the capital of West Bengal, Kolkata, via Howrah railway station to the largest city in northern West Bengal, Silguri, via New Jalpaiguri Junction railway station. During the journey the train stops at Bolpur Shantiniketan , Malda Town and Barsoi Junction soi.^[2]

Howrah – New Jalpaiguri Junction Vande Bharat Express
This Vande Bharat Express train standing with WAP-7 HWH 37585
Overview
Service type	Vande Bharat Express
Locale	West Bengal and Bihar
First service	30 December 2022 (Inaugural run) 1 January 2023; 2 years ago (2023-01-01) (Commercial run) [1]
Current operator(s)	Eastern Railways (ER)
Route
Termini	Howrah (HWH) New Jalpaiguri Junction (NJP)
Stops	3
Distance travelled	561 km (349 mi)
Average journey time	07 hrs 30 mins
Service frequency	6 days a week[a]
Train number(s)	22301 / 22302
Line(s) used	Howrah–New Jalpaiguri line
On-board services
Class(es)	AC Chair Car, AC Executive Chair Car
Seating arrangements	Airline style Rotatable seats
Sleeping arrangements	No
Auto-rack arrangements	No
Catering facilities	On-board catering
Observation facilities	Large windows
Entertainment facilities	On-board WiFi Infotainment System Electric outlets Reading light Seat Pockets Bottle Holder Tray Table
Baggage facilities	Overhead racks
Other facilities	Kavach
Technical
Rolling stock	Vande Bharat 2.0
Track gauge	Indian gauge 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge
Electrification	25 kV 50 Hz AC Overhead line
Operating speed	75 km/h (47 mph) (Average)
Average length	384 metres (1,260 ft)
Track owner(s)	Indian Railways
Rake maintenance	Liluah Sorting Yard, Howrah Vande Bharat Maintenance Depot, Howrah
Route map Legend 22301 ↓ Howrah Junction Bolpur Shantiniketan Malda Town West Bengal Bihar border Barsoi Junction Bihar West Bengal border 22302 ↑ New Jalpaiguri Junction Revenue Earn:-25,61,97,025 rupees [From 1 February to 30 th April 2023]

Overview

This train is being operated by Indian Railways, connecting Kolkata and Siliguri, West Bengal's two most important cities.^[3] The train service officially started from 1 January 2023 on New Year's Day from Howrah.^[4][1] However the inaugural service ran on 30 December from Howrah. This is the first Vande Bharat train service in Eastern India.^[5][6][7]

Service

The 22301/22302 Howrah–New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express operates 6 days a week, covering a distance of 561 km (349 mi) (chargeable distance may be different) in a travel time of 7 hrs 30 mins with an average speed of 75 km/h (47 mph), making it the fastest passenger train in Howrah - New Jalpaiguri section.^{[8][9][10][11]}

Gallery

Some of the pictures taken are given below:-

• 
  New Vande Bharat Express train standing at Car shed in Howrah for maintenance
• 
  Vande Bharat Express arriving at Bolpur Shantiniketan and heading towards New Jalpaiguri Jn
• 
  Interior of AC chair car of HWH-NJP Vande Bharat express
• 
  NJP-HWH Vande Bharat Express at New Jalpaiguri Junction railway station. It's also worth mentioning that the train has been re-painted from its old white and blue livery to the new saffron and black livery.
• 
  PM Narendra Modi flagging off Vande Bharat Express connecting Howrah to New Jalpaiguri via video conferencing on December 30, 2022

Schedule

The schedule of this 22301/22302 Howrah–New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express is given below:-

HWH - NJP - HWH Vande Bharat Express
22301		Stations	22302
Arrival	Departure		Arrival	Departure
----	05:55	Howrah Junction	22:35	----
07:37	07:39	Bolpur Shantiniketan	20:13	20:15
10:32	10:35	Malda Town	17:55	17:58
11:38	11:40	Barsoi Junction	16:28	16:30
13:25	----	New Jalpaiguri Junction	----	15:00

Incidents

Three days after the inauguration of Vande Bharat express bound towards Howrah Jn in Howrah-New Jalpaiguri route at 2 January 2023 at around 17:30, some unidentified persons pelted stones allegedly at Kumarganj in Malda near Bihar. No casualties were reported. After the brief inspection by police in Howrah, it was reported that the door glass of C13 coach was shattered.^[12]

See also

• Vande Bharat Express
• Tejas Express
• Gatimaan Express
• New Jalpaiguri–Howrah Shatabdi Express
• Howrah–New Jalpaiguri line
• Howrah railway station
• New Jalpaiguri Junction railway station

Notes

1. Except Wednesdays