Jaipur: New Santragachi–Khatipura Express Flagged Off, Weekly Direct Rail Link to Kolkata From November 4

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw flagged off the 18061/18062 Santragachi–Khatipura (Jaipur) Express by video conferencing on Monday, South Eastern Railway said. The weekly train links Jaipur with Tatanagar and Santragachi via Ranchi, Prayagraj, Kanpur and Agra, and Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma called it a significant gift for students, traders and tourists.

Awaaz Punjab Investigations Desk26 October 20263 min readRead in all 3 languages

Jaipur, Oct 26: The new Santragachi–Khatipura (Jaipur) Express was flagged off on Monday by Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw through video conferencing, South Eastern Railway (SER) said in an official release, giving Jaipur a direct weekly rail link to Tatanagar (Jamshedpur) and Santragachi near Kolkata.

Source: South Eastern Railway (official release)

An inaugural function was held at Santragachi station, attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and other dignitaries along with SER General Manager Anil Kumar Jain and Kharagpur Divisional Railway Manager Lalit Mohan Pandey, the release said. A simultaneous programme at Tatanagar was attended by Jamshedpur MP Bidyut Baran Mahato, MLAs Saryu Roy and Purnima Sahu, and Chakradharpur Divisional Railway Manager Tarun Huria, SER said.

Source: South Eastern Railway (official release)

The regular run of train numbers 18061/18062 will begin on November 4, 2026 from Santragachi and on November 6, 2026 from Khatipura. Train 18061 will leave Santragachi every Wednesday at 2:15 p.m. and reach Khatipura at 11:00 p.m. the next day; in the return direction, train 18062 will leave Khatipura every Friday at 9:15 a.m. and arrive at Santragachi at 7:45 p.m. the next day, SER said.

Source: South Eastern Railway (official release)

En route, the train will stop 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, according to the SER release — a single unbroken route from Rajasthan's capital to eastern India's industrial and cultural core that previously required multiple changes.

Source: South Eastern Railway (official release)

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma welcomed the service in a post on X, crediting the initiative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and thanking Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for what he called a significant gift to the people of Rajasthan, Nation Press reported. Sharma said students, traders and tourists would benefit most, and Town Post reported the direct link also improves access for pilgrims travelling to Khatu Shyam Ji Dham in Rajasthan.

Source: Nation Press

Sources

South Eastern Railway official release — Flagging off of Santragachi–Khatipura (Jaipur)–Santragachi Express (Oct 26, 2026), reproduced by Bihar Jharkhand News Network — https://biharjharkhandnewsnetwork.com/south-eastern-railway-flagging-off-of-santragachi-khatipura-jaipur-santragachi-express/

Nation Press — CM Bhajan Lal Backs New Jaipur–Tatanagar–Santragachi Express (Oct 26, 2026) — https://www.nationpress.com/national/cm-bhajan-lal-backs-jaipur-santragachi-train

Town Post — Tatanagar Gets Direct Weekly Train to Jaipur's Khatipura as Santragachi Express is Inaugurated (Oct 26, 2026, 15:21 IST) — https://townpost.net/2026/10/26/tatanagar-khatipura-jaipur-express-inaugurated-santragachi/