Kolkata, July 27 -- Howrah station's newly built Platform 24 was commissioned for passenger services on Monday, with the Dhauli Express becoming the first train to depart from the platform at 9.10 am.
At 635.3 metres, Platform 24 is now the longest platform at Howrah station. Built at a cost of Rs 2.69 crore, the platform is expected to help distribute train movements more efficiently across the station, improve operational flexibility, reduce congestion and enhance passenger convenience through smoother train operations and better crowd management.
The platform was commissioned after Eastern Railway completed a 60-hour non-interlocking block at the Howrah Link Cabin from 5 pm on July 24 to 5 am on July 27.
As part of the station's ongoing infrastructure upgrade, another platform - Platform 16 - is under construction with a proposed length of 300 metres. Eight existing platforms in the old complex - Platforms 1, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 - will also be extended to accommodate longer trains.
The railway will also undertake extensive remodelling of the Howrah yard, including rationalisation of track layouts, removal of redundant points and crossings, reorganisation of train routes, signalling upgrades and commissioning of a new Route Relay Interlocking (RRI) system to improve train reception and dispatch.
Officials said train movements of Eastern Railway and South Eastern Railway often intersect while entering and leaving the terminal, creating operational conflicts and delays. The remodelling aims to segregate these movements through dedicated access routes.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.