Howrah railway division

Howrah Division is the oldest operational railway division under the Eastern Railway zone of Indian Railways ^[1] . Serving as a major rail hub for Eastern India, its headquarters based in Howrah, West Bengal, and has historical and strategic importance for passenger and freight transport^[2]. It is one of the four railway divisions under the jurisdiction of Eastern Railway zone. In 2025, the Howrah Division marked its 100th anniversary since it was officially established as a division. It covers the area more than 400 km which includes parts of Bihar and Jharkhand also.^[3]. The division manages nearly 200 stations ranging from major terminals to smaller halts.

Asansol railway division, Sealdah railway division and Malda railway division are the other railway divisions under ER Zone headquartered at Kolkata.^[4][5]

List of busiest non suburban railway stations

This list includes the top 10 busiest NSG (Non Suburban Group) category railway stations in Howrah division as of 2022-23.^[6]

Category of station	Rank	Name of station
NSG-1	1	Howrah Junction
NSG-2	2	Barddhaman Junction
NSG-3	3	Rampurhat Junction
NSG-3	4	Bandel Junction
NSG-4	5	Bolpur Shantiniketan
NSG-5	6	Sainthia Junction
NSG-5	7	Guskara
NSG-5	8	Khagraghat Road
NSG-5	9	Pakur
NSG-5	10	Azimganj Junction
NSG-5	11	Nabadwip Dham

List of railway stations and towns

The list includes the stations under the Howrah railway division and their station category.^[7]

Category of station	No. of stations	Names of stations
NSG-1	1	Howrah Junction
NSG-2	1	Barddhaman Junction
NSG-3	2	Rampurhat and Bandel
NSG-4	1	Bolpur Shantiniketan
NSG-5	14	Sainthia Junction, Pakur, Khagraghat Road, Azimganj Junction, Nalhati Junction, Nabadwip Dham,Murarai, Salar, Guskara, Ahmadpur Junction, Morgram, Sagardighi, Rajgram, Mallarpur, Bazarsau
NSG-6	36	Azimganj City, Barala, Bhedia etc.
SG-2	4	Shrirampur, Rishra, Konnagar, Sheoraphuli, Uttarpara
SG-3	87	Katwa Junction, Agradwip, Ambika Kalna, Adisaptagram etc.
HG-1	5	Vishnupriya Halt, Malia, Mertala Phaleya, Rajchandrapur, Dhaniakhali
HG-2	6	Amarun, Shiblun, Miangram, Nimo, Talpur, Tokipur
HG-3	33	Adalpahari, Ambalgram, Barmasia
Total	193	-

First Train in Eastern India

On August 15, 1854, the first passenger train in Eastern India made its inaugural commercial run from Howrah to Hooghly, covering a distance of 24 miles. This marked the beginning of railway services in the region under the East Indian Railway Company. The journey took about 91 minutes, and the train was fully occupied, with more than 3,000 people applying to ride on this historic trip. The train comprised three first-class coaches, two second-class coaches, and three third-class trucks, all built in India due to the unfortunate sinking of the original coaches shipped from England. The locomotive was imported after a delay caused by a navigational error that initially sent the ship to Australia. This significant milestone, celebrated as the birth of railways in Eastern India, laid the foundation for the extensive railway network in the region over the subsequent decades