SANTRAGACHI–JAIPUR EXPRESS FLAGGED OFF, BOOST TO RAIL CONNECTIVITY ACROSS FIVE STATES

Kolkata : Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw, flagged off the newly introduced Santragachi–Khatipura (Jaipur) Express through video conferencing on 26 October 2026. Suvendu Adhikari, Chief Minister of West Bengal, Dilip Ghosh, Minister of Panchayat and Rural Development & Agricultural Marketing, Govt. of West Bengal, Rudranil Ghosh, MLA and Dr. Rajesh Kumar, MLA were present during the inaugural function organised at Santragachi Station. Anil Kumar Jain, General Manager, SER, Lalit Mohan Pandey, Divisional Railway Manager, Kharagpur and other Senior Officers were also present at Santragachi.Simultaneously, an inaugural programme was also organised at Tatanagar, attended by Bidyut Baran Mahato, MP, Saryu Roy, MLA, Purnima Sahu, MLA, Tarun Huria Divisional Railway Manager, Chakradharpur and other divisional railway officials.The regular run of 18061/18062 Santragachi–Khatipura (Jaipur)-Santragachi Express will commence w.e.f 04.11.2026 from Santragachi and w.e.f 06.11.2026 from Khatipura. 18061 Santragachi–Khatipura (Jaipur) Express will leave Santragachi every Wednesday at 14:15hrs and will reach Khatipura at 23:00 hrs the next day. In the return direction, 18062 Khatipura-Santragachi Express will leave Khatipura on every Friday at 09:15 hrs and will arrive Santragachi at 19:45 hrs the next day.The train will have stoppages at Kharagpur, Tatanagar, Chandil, Purulia, Muri, Ranchi, Lohardaga, Tori, Latehar, Barwadih, Daltonganj, Garhwa Road, Japla, Dehri on Sone, Sasaram, Bhabua Road, Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, Mirzapur, Prayagraj, Fatehpur, Kanpur Central, Tundla, Idgah Agra, Kherli, Mandawar Mahwa Road, Bandikui and Dausa Stations enroute.The introduction of this train marks an important step towards strengthening rail connectivity between West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The Santragachi–Khatipura Express will enhance rail connectivity across these states, facilitating convenient long-distance travel for passengers. The new service is expected to benefit a wide range of travellers, including business professionals and people travelling for education, employment and other purposes.