The chicken's neck station
New Jalpaiguri Junction (code NJP) stands at one of the most strategic spots on India's map: the narrow Siliguri Corridor, the strip of land linking the north-eastern states with the rest of the country. Almost every train between the north-east and the rest of India passes through. From NJP, travellers fan out to Darjeeling, Sikkim, Bhutan, Nepal and the hills of North Bengal. It belongs to the Northeast Frontier Railway under the Katihar division and handles about 22 million passengers a year.
Built after Partition
Partition in 1947 cut the old railway routes of North Bengal, which had run through what became East Pakistan. India responded with the Assam Rail Link Project, completed in 1950, to reconnect the north-east through Indian territory. In the early 1960s, as Indian Railways converted key routes from metre gauge to broad gauge, a new broad-gauge station was built south of Siliguri Town: New Jalpaiguri, established in 1960. By 1964 it had become the most important station in the area. Electrification arrived in July 2020.
Two gauges, one station
NJP has 10 platforms: 8 broad gauge for express trains and 2 narrow gauge for the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. The toy train's tracks were extended from Siliguri Town to NJP by 1964, so passengers can step off a long-distance train and onto the UNESCO-listed mountain railway in the same complex. With 45 tracks, the station also has one of the largest yards in the region.
Riding the toy train
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway climbs from the plains at NJP to Darjeeling through tea gardens and hill towns, with loops and zig-zag reverses to gain height. Full-length journeys take most of a day, and joy-ride services also run from Darjeeling.
Recognition
In a 2016 survey NJP was ranked the 10th cleanest railway station in India, and it is one of the top hundred booking stations of Indian Railways. It is about 114 metres above sea level.
Onward from NJP
- Darjeeling and Kalimpong: shared jeeps and taxis climb from the station forecourt.
- Gangtok, Sikkim: a 4–5 hour road journey.
- Nepal and Bhutan: border crossings at Panitanki and Jaigaon are reached by road.
- North-east by train: Vande Bharat and express services run on to Guwahati; use our train schedule page to compare them.