Jaipur: Union Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw Monday flagged off a new express train connecting Khatipura in Jaipur with Santragachi via Tatanagar, strengthening rail connectivity between Rajasthan and eastern India. Santragachi is a sub urban railway station near Kolkata.The inaugural special train was flagged off through video conferencing on Monday. West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari and public representatives from Santragachi and Tatanagar joined the programme virtually. At Khatipura station, Jaipur MP Manju Sharma and Mayor Sunil Kothari also flagged off the train in the presence of North Western Railway general manager Pankaj Sharma.Vaishnaw, who too joined through video conferencing, said the service would connect parts of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, providing an additional travel option for passengers travelling for education, employment, business and tourism. He added that the expansion of coaching facilities at KhatiÂpura’s mega coaching terminal had created scope for operating more trains. The new service will supplement existing rail connections between Jaipur and the Kolkata region, served by trains linking the city with terminals such as Howrah and Sealdah. Services include the Jodhpur–Howrah, Bikaner–Howrah and Ajmer–Sealdah express trains, besides other long-distance connections. The other two trains include Pratap Express and Ananya Express, which run once in a week.The train is also expected to promote trade, tourism and cultural exchanges between the two regions.
