Transport in Kolkata
Encyclopedia
The transport system of Kolkata
is a mix of modern mass rapid transport and the old transport modalities like the rickshaws. Kolkata is connected to the rest of India by the National Highways, the extensive network of the Indian Railways
, and also by air. Most traffic to North-East India
routes via Kolkata.
by extensive railway network of the Indian railways. Two divisions of the Indian railways - the Eastern Railway
and the South Eastern Railway
are headquartered in the city. The two major railway stations of the city are at Howrah
and Sealdah
. A third terminal called Kolkata has recently been constructed. This station is in North Kolkata and can be reached by a road opposite to the RG Kar Medical College just beyond Shyambazar
.
The electrified suburban rail network
of the SER
and the ER
is extensive and stretches far into the neighbouring districts of North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Nadia
, Howrah
, Hooghly
etc.
The Circular Rail encircles the entire city of Kolkata, and is at present being extended. A new railway line off-shoot is under construction that would connect the airport to the lines going to Sealdah.
.The Metro is a very well maintained and clean system. The line begins at Dum Dum
in the north and continues south through Park Street
, Esplanade
in the heart of the city till the southern end in Tollygunge
. In 2010, the line had been extended southward up to Garia
, and this new portion of the Metro is on the surface. There are new metro lines being built to serve other parts of Kolkata, including an east west corridor linking Howrah to Salt Lake Sector 5.
Trains run every 10–15 minutes and at Rs 4-12. It runs from 8 a.m. to 9.45 p.m. from Monday to Saturday and 2 p.m to 9.45 p.m. on Sunday.
Kolkata has an extensive network of government run and privately run buses. The ticketing system is not centralized one and one has to purchase separate tickets for buses, metros, trams and trains.
The bus tickets are simple paper tickets purchased from the bus conductor after you board the bus. Also there are multiple organisations running buses, a private organisation, and multiple government services like CSTC (Calcutta State Transport Corporation), CTC (Calcutta Tramways Company), WBSTC (West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation) etc. There are also various types of privately run buses. The private-owned buses are quite typical of Kolkata and are usually very crowded. The private-owned buses are of two types, the regular ones and the mini-buses. The regular buses are coloured light-blue and yellow. Earlier the rules for building buses were slack and this led to rickety uncomfortable buses. The laws have been tightened up a few years back and the new blue-yellow buses are far more comfortable. The mini-buses are of brown and yellow colour, and contain lesser number of seats. The mini-buses were started in the late seventies as a relief for the office commuters from the overloaded buses by being a sitting-only service,but this has given way to severely overloaded and crowded mini buses.
The government-run buses are run by several authorities like Calcutta State Transport Corporation (CSTC), South Bengal State Transport Corporation (SBSTC), West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation (WBSTC) and the Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC). Government buses have no colour code and can be identified only by the appropriate symbol (CSTC or CTC or WBSTC) on their body. Both the name of the place where the bus is going to, as well as the name of the place where its route originated is mentioned on the bus, which makes it hard to identify in which direction the bus is heading. However, usually the conductor will call out the names of the stops to come at each halt, so boarding the right bus is not much of a trouble. If in doubt the conductor or any fellow passenger will help out. The buses will often stop to pick up a passenger who waves at the bus, even if it isn't the designated bus stop.
Recently air-conditioned buses have been introduced by the WBSTC. These buses connects places like the Airport, Santragachi ( a station on the Howrah-Kharagpur railway line) and Tollygunj. The road network in south Kolkata starting from Park Circus, Ballygunge
, Gariahat, Gol Park, Dhakuria, Jadavpur
all the way to Garia
consists mainly of Gariahat Road
, Gurusaday Dutta Road
, Ballygunge Circular Road
, Rashbehari Avenue
, and Prince Anwar Shah Road
.
Long distance buses starting from Kolkata to various places like Bakkhali, Digha, Siliguri and other cities originate from the central bus depot at Dharmatala. The tickets can be purchased on spot from the counters or from the conductor on the bus. The buses are usually better than the city transport buses, but are usually overcrowded.
VS1 - Airport
- Esplanade
VS2 - Airport
- Howrah Station
via Baguihati, Ultadanga
, Kankurgachi
, Girish Park, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Chitpur
Crossing, Howrah Bridge
VS3 - Airport
- Taratala via Rajarhat
New Town, Sector V, Nicco Park, EM Bypass, Ruby Hospital, Gariahat, Chetla
V1 - Airport
- Tollyganj
V2 - Airport
- Santragachi
V3 - Newtown
- Tollyganj
V9 - Rajarhat
New Town - Tollyganj
The MW Series - Operated with Tata Marcopolo Buses
MW1 - Sulekha
in Jadavpur
- Rajarhat
New Town ( Narkelbagan )
MW9 - Patuli
- Howrah
K2 - Dum Dum Station - Ruby Hospital
K3 - Bally Saheb Bagan - Kudghat
K4 - Dakshineswar
- Naktala
K5 - Salt Lake - Joka
K6 - Mandirtala (in Howrah District
) - Rajabazar
K7 - Bakultala (in Howrah District
) - Ruby Hospital
K8 - Basudebpur (Belgharia) - Jadavpur
K9 - Barrackpore
- Garia
The metered-cabs are mostly of the brand "Ambassador" manufactured by Hindustan Motors
. Once in a while, one or two Maruti Omnis can be seen painted in yellow. Recently, air-conditioned cabs (known as "Blue-Arrow") and maroon cabs ( running on Compressed natural gas
) have been introduced. The all-yellow ones have a Bengal permit and the black-yellow (hard to find) ones have a Kolkata city permit. The meters - though digital - are generally out-of-date and there is a conversion chart to refer to while converting the meter-reading to the actual fare. But recently ORIX Auto Infrastructure Services Ltd. has introduced an air-conditioned Radio Taxi service in Kolkata with the name 'Kolkata Cab' with fleets consisting of Indigo Marina only, which has gained popularity among the city dwellers because it has comfortable seats, GPS monitoring, digital tamper-proof meters, receipt printers and lost-and-found facilities. Mega Cabs are also there with the same facilities. Some other prospective Radio Taxis to be rolled in to the city are Easy Cabs and Meru Cabs.
Howrah Bridge
and Vidyasagar Setu
are two bridges connecting Kolkata with Howrah over the Ganges. Vivekananda Setu
is the third bridge over the river at the northern reach of the city near Dakshineshwar. The fourth one and the newest one is Nivedita Setu
. A network of expressways like Kona Expressway which is partially complete, Belghoria Expressway which is under construction, widening of southern stretch of Eastern Metropolitan Bypass are being created to ease up traffic.
Kolkata taxi fares are now available online on http://www.taxiautofare.com. The service also provides a unique fare calculation service that allows users to estimate fares before travelling. Source and Destination can be entered in to get a Google Map route.
,a government of West Bengal Undertaking, popularly called CTC. The trams are claimed to slow down other traffic, leading to groups who currently voice abolishing the trams. The environment-friendliness and the old charm of the trams attract many people. The tram lines laid in some major roads are being renovated to maintain the tram lines on the same level plane as the rest of the road, thereby smoothening the road.
In places, the original central boulevards reserved only for the trams have been removed,the tram-lines are thus brought in the same plane as that of the road.The usable space of the road for vehicle movement has thereby considerably increased. With embedding of tram tracks in the road surface, the over all surface has become smoother, easing the traffic to some extent.
With the tracks now running in the centre of the heavy traffic roads,commuters are encountering difficulties in getting to the trams' stops through the traffic and as a result, less number of people are able to use the tram easily.Mostly trams are found to be running with many seats vacant even during rush hours.This has also caused reduction of revenue for Calcutta Tram Company.
One possible remedy towards difficulty of approachability to the trams could be to relay the tracks on outside left and the right sides of the road, adjacent to the footpaths.However,relaying the track may not be possible now as the modification will need enormous expenditure.
transit system on elevated tracks for Kolkata is being pursued by the Government of West Bengal
, but it is still on drawing board.
s are commonplace. Many migrants from Bihar and rural Bengal are involved in Rickshaw pulling. Rickshaws are also on the list of probable abolishments on humanitarian grounds. In southern Kolkata, the rickshaws pulled by men have been replaced by cycle rickshaws. Fares are usually set by the rickshaw unions, and are quite reasonable. These rickshaws usually operate over short distances due to the manual effort involved, and mainly run on narrow lanes where buses and auto-rickshaws don't ply.
Auto-rickshaws have become a very common mode of transport
for short distances. They are usually not metered, and are usually shared. There are several routes, and the auto-rickshaws of a particular route ply between two distinct places of that route only. Autorickshaws can accommodate 3 people in the backseat, and one or two passengers in front beside the driver. The fares are usually quite low compared to other metro cities like Delhi and Mumbai, the minimum fare being ₹5.
(IATA code:CCU) at Dum Dum
(previously known as Dum Dum airport) is the only airport in the city, operating both domestic and international flights. It is a gateway to North-East India, Bangkok, and Bangladesh. The number of people using the airport has consistently increased over the last few years and there are talks to start another airport in the southern suburbs of the city.
There is a flying club in Behala
. After several years of inactivity it has recently been restored.
Kolkata is also a major port and together with the Haldia
dock systems, the Kolkata Port Trust
has been amongst top performers in the country. Kolkata Port
has regular passenger services to Port Blair
from the Netaji Subhas Docks.
Also the twin cities of Kolkata
and Howrah are connected by local water ferries through the extensive ghats like Fairlie Ghat, Howrah Ghat, Shibpur Ghat, Prinsep Ghat, Cossipore Ghat, etc. Small boats are used for recreational purpose. There are plans to start utilizing the canals running through the city as water-transport network. The first service is scheduled to start from September 2006 - and would cover the Belgachhia-Laketown stretch of Kestopur Canal.
Besides all this mode of transport, like in other Indian cities, walking is very common way to commute between the workplace and nearest railway station or bus stop. Privately owned cars, though less in number and usage compared to other large cities in India, are growing by leaps and bounds and are slowly becoming the transport of choice for a large number of people being helped by the growing economy, higher per capita income and the easy availability of loans from financial institutions.
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
is a mix of modern mass rapid transport and the old transport modalities like the rickshaws. Kolkata is connected to the rest of India by the National Highways, the extensive network of the Indian Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
, and also by air. Most traffic to North-East India
North-East India
Northeast India refers to the easternmost region of India consisting of the contiguous Seven Sister States, Sikkim, and parts of North Bengal...
routes via Kolkata.
Railways
Kolkata is well-connected to the rest of IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
by extensive railway network of the Indian railways. Two divisions of the Indian railways - the Eastern Railway
Eastern Railway (India)
The Eastern Railway is one of the 17 zones of the Indian Railways. Its headquarters is at Fairley Place, Kolkata, and comprises four divisions: Howrah, Malda, Sealdah, and Asansol. These are the financial departments and each has an assistant divisional financial manager , divisional railway...
and the South Eastern Railway
South Eastern Railway (India)
The South Eastern Railway is one of the sixteen railway zones in India. It is headquartered at Garden Reach, Kolkata. It comprises four divisions:# Adra Railway Division# Chakradharpur Railway Division# Kharagpur Railway Division...
are headquartered in the city. The two major railway stations of the city are at Howrah
Howrah station
Howrah Station is one of the four intercity train stations serving Howrah and Kolkata, India; the others are Sealdah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata railway station in Kolkata. Howrah is situated on the West bank of the Hooghly River, linked to Kolkata by the magnificent Howrah Bridge which...
and Sealdah
Sealdah
Sealdah is one of the major train stations serving Kolkata in India, the others being Howrah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata Railway Station. Sealdah is one of the busiest rail stations in India and an important suburban rail terminal...
. A third terminal called Kolkata has recently been constructed. This station is in North Kolkata and can be reached by a road opposite to the RG Kar Medical College just beyond Shyambazar
Shyambazar
Shyambazar is a neighbourhood in north Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal. The area, under Shyampukur police station of Kolkata Police, has been, along with neighbouring Bagbazar, the citadel of the Bengali aristocracy, in a part of what was earlier known as...
.
The electrified suburban rail network
Kolkata Suburban Railway
The Kolkata Suburban Railway is the rail system for the suburbs surrounding the city of Kolkata . Railways such as this are important and heavily-used infrastructure in India....
of the SER
South Eastern Railway (India)
The South Eastern Railway is one of the sixteen railway zones in India. It is headquartered at Garden Reach, Kolkata. It comprises four divisions:# Adra Railway Division# Chakradharpur Railway Division# Kharagpur Railway Division...
and the ER
Eastern Railway (India)
The Eastern Railway is one of the 17 zones of the Indian Railways. Its headquarters is at Fairley Place, Kolkata, and comprises four divisions: Howrah, Malda, Sealdah, and Asansol. These are the financial departments and each has an assistant divisional financial manager , divisional railway...
is extensive and stretches far into the neighbouring districts of North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Nadia
Nadia District
Nadia district is a district of the state of West Bengal, in the north east of India. It borders with Bangladesh to the east, North 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts to the south, Bardhaman district to the west, and Murshidabad district to the north....
, Howrah
Howrah District
Howrah district is a district of the West Bengal state in eastern India. It has thousands of years of rich heritage in the form of the great Bengali kingdom of Bhurshut. The district is named after its headquarters, the city of Howrah.-Geography:...
, Hooghly
Hooghly District
Hooghly district is one of the districts of the state of West Bengal in India. It can alternatively be spelt Hoogli or Hugli. The district is named after the Hooghly River.The headquarters of the district are at Chinsura...
etc.
The Circular Rail encircles the entire city of Kolkata, and is at present being extended. A new railway line off-shoot is under construction that would connect the airport to the lines going to Sealdah.
Underground Metro railway
Kolkata was the first city in South Asia to have an underground railway system that started operating from 1984. It is considered to have the status of a zonal railway but is not a zone. It is run by the Indian RailwaysIndian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
.The Metro is a very well maintained and clean system. The line begins at Dum Dum
Dum Dum
Dum Dum is a city and a municipality in North 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is a neighbourhood in North-west Kolkata and the location of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, formerly Dum Dum Airport.Dum Dum is a well known place in greater Kolkata...
in the north and continues south through Park Street
Park Street, Kolkata
Mother Teresa Sarani, formerly Park Street and still often called by that name, and originally Burial Ground Road, is a street in the city of Kolkata , India. The street runs through what was a deer park of Sir Elijah Impey, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in Calcutta from 1773 to 1789, hence...
, Esplanade
Esplanade, Calcutta
Esplanade is an area in central Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal. This is not a conventional esplanade in the sense that the place is not exactly situated alongside a waterbody. However, the river Ganges, also known as the Ganga or the Hooghly, is located nearby...
in the heart of the city till the southern end in Tollygunge
Tollygunge
Tollygunge is a locality of South Kolkata. It is flanked by the Eastern Railway south suburban line to the north, Lake Gardens and Golf Green in the east, the Pashchim & Purba Putiaries in the south, and Behala in the west.-History:...
. In 2010, the line had been extended southward up to Garia
Garia
Garia is a posh neighbourhood in south Kolkata, India. It includes the localities of Naktala, New Garia, Chak Garia, Garia Park, Baghajatin, Baishnabghata-Patuli, Techno City, Model Town, Ganguly Bagan, Tentulberia, East Tentulberia, Ramgarh, Briji, Kamalgazi, Mahamayatala, Boral, Sreenagar,...
, and this new portion of the Metro is on the surface. There are new metro lines being built to serve other parts of Kolkata, including an east west corridor linking Howrah to Salt Lake Sector 5.
Trains run every 10–15 minutes and at Rs 4-12. It runs from 8 a.m. to 9.45 p.m. from Monday to Saturday and 2 p.m to 9.45 p.m. on Sunday.
Buses and taxis
The bus tickets are simple paper tickets purchased from the bus conductor after you board the bus. Also there are multiple organisations running buses, a private organisation, and multiple government services like CSTC (Calcutta State Transport Corporation), CTC (Calcutta Tramways Company), WBSTC (West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation) etc. There are also various types of privately run buses. The private-owned buses are quite typical of Kolkata and are usually very crowded. The private-owned buses are of two types, the regular ones and the mini-buses. The regular buses are coloured light-blue and yellow. Earlier the rules for building buses were slack and this led to rickety uncomfortable buses. The laws have been tightened up a few years back and the new blue-yellow buses are far more comfortable. The mini-buses are of brown and yellow colour, and contain lesser number of seats. The mini-buses were started in the late seventies as a relief for the office commuters from the overloaded buses by being a sitting-only service,but this has given way to severely overloaded and crowded mini buses.
The government-run buses are run by several authorities like Calcutta State Transport Corporation (CSTC), South Bengal State Transport Corporation (SBSTC), West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation (WBSTC) and the Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC). Government buses have no colour code and can be identified only by the appropriate symbol (CSTC or CTC or WBSTC) on their body. Both the name of the place where the bus is going to, as well as the name of the place where its route originated is mentioned on the bus, which makes it hard to identify in which direction the bus is heading. However, usually the conductor will call out the names of the stops to come at each halt, so boarding the right bus is not much of a trouble. If in doubt the conductor or any fellow passenger will help out. The buses will often stop to pick up a passenger who waves at the bus, even if it isn't the designated bus stop.
Recently air-conditioned buses have been introduced by the WBSTC. These buses connects places like the Airport, Santragachi ( a station on the Howrah-Kharagpur railway line) and Tollygunj. The road network in south Kolkata starting from Park Circus, Ballygunge
Ballygunge
Ballygunge is an upmarket and elite locality in South Kolkata, India. It is flanked by Park Circus in the north, Kasba and the Eastern Railway south suburban line in the east, Dhakuria and the Lakes in the south, and the localities of Bhowanipore and Lansdowne in the west...
, Gariahat, Gol Park, Dhakuria, Jadavpur
Jadavpur
Jadavpur is a southern neighbourhood of Kolkata, India. It is bounded by Dhakuria to the north, Tollygunge to the west, Santoshpur to the east and Garia to the south...
all the way to Garia
Garia
Garia is a posh neighbourhood in south Kolkata, India. It includes the localities of Naktala, New Garia, Chak Garia, Garia Park, Baghajatin, Baishnabghata-Patuli, Techno City, Model Town, Ganguly Bagan, Tentulberia, East Tentulberia, Ramgarh, Briji, Kamalgazi, Mahamayatala, Boral, Sreenagar,...
consists mainly of Gariahat Road
Gariahat Road
Gariahat Road connects Ballygunge Phari with Prince Anwar Shah Road and Raja SC Mullick Road near Jadavpur Police station on the southern part of Kolkata, India.-Localities:...
, Gurusaday Dutta Road
Gurusaday Dutta Road
Gurusaday Dutta Road is one of the poshest areas of Kolkata. Its old name was Ballygunge Store Road. It was named after Gurusaday Dutt, an ICS officer and a Bengali patriot.-Localities:...
, Ballygunge Circular Road
Ballygunge Circular Road
Ballygunge Circular Road is one of the most important roads which runs through the upscale part of Ballygunge in South Kolkata. It starts near the Ballygunge Science College right off Gariahat Road, passing through landmarks like Tripura House, St Lawrence High School etc. before meeting...
, Rashbehari Avenue
Rashbehari Avenue
Rashbehari Avenue is one of the most prestigious and important avenues of Kolkata, India. A major portion of this road is often commonly referred to as Gariahat, the prime shopping and aristocratic residential neighbourhood of south Kolkata...
, and Prince Anwar Shah Road
Prince Anwar Shah Road
Prince Anwar Shah Road is a street in South Kolkata. It is named after Prince Gulam Mohammed Anwar Shah, one of Tipu Sultan's 12 sons.-Localities:...
.
Long distance buses starting from Kolkata to various places like Bakkhali, Digha, Siliguri and other cities originate from the central bus depot at Dharmatala. The tickets can be purchased on spot from the counters or from the conductor on the bus. The buses are usually better than the city transport buses, but are usually overcrowded.
Aircon Bus Routes of Kolkata
The V and VS Series - Operated with Volvo BusesVS1 - Airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
- Esplanade
Esplanade
An esplanade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The original meaning of esplanade was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide clear fields of fire for the fortress' guns...
VS2 - Airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
- Howrah Station
Howrah station
Howrah Station is one of the four intercity train stations serving Howrah and Kolkata, India; the others are Sealdah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata railway station in Kolkata. Howrah is situated on the West bank of the Hooghly River, linked to Kolkata by the magnificent Howrah Bridge which...
via Baguihati, Ultadanga
Ultadanga
Ultadanga is perhaps one of the most crowded junctions in Kolkata. The place is located at the north-eastern fringe of the city at a close proximity to the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport Kolkata Airport and marks the limit of Kolkata District. The area is very well-connected with the rest of...
, Kankurgachi
Kankurgachi
Kankurgachi is a place in North-Central Kolkata, India.With a cosmopolitan crowd and several commercial buildings and food joints, Kankurgachi is considered as one of the most affluent and elite places in Kolkata...
, Girish Park, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Chitpur
Chitpur
Chitpur is a neighbourhood in north Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. Sometimes, the entire area along Chitpur Road is referred to as Chitpur, although the various localities have distinctive names....
Crossing, Howrah Bridge
Howrah Bridge
The Howrah Bridge is a cantilever bridge that spans the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India. Commissioned in 1943, the bridge was originally named the New Howrah Bridge, because it links the city of Howrah to its twin city, Kolkata . On 14 June 1965 it was renamed Rabindra Setu, after Rabindranath...
VS3 - Airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
- Taratala via Rajarhat
Rajarhat
Rajarhat Gopalpur , a neighbourhood of Calcutta, located in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, is a fast-growing planned new city. It is situated near the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport. Many high-profile industrialists of national and international standing are...
New Town, Sector V, Nicco Park, EM Bypass, Ruby Hospital, Gariahat, Chetla
V1 - Airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
- Tollyganj
V2 - Airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
- Santragachi
V3 - Newtown
Newtown
-Australia:*Newtown, New South Wales*Newtown, Queensland *Newtown, Queensland *Newtown, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong*Newtown, Victoria , a locality near Ballarat-Ireland:* Newtown, County Cork* Newtown, County Laois...
- Tollyganj
V9 - Rajarhat
Rajarhat
Rajarhat Gopalpur , a neighbourhood of Calcutta, located in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, is a fast-growing planned new city. It is situated near the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport. Many high-profile industrialists of national and international standing are...
New Town - Tollyganj
The MW Series - Operated with Tata Marcopolo Buses
MW1 - Sulekha
Sulekha
Sulekha.com is an Indian Internet and Mobile company offering local commerce services enhanced by social media interactions in 46 Indian and 16 North American cities. Adopting the slogan “Find. Buy. Sell. Share...
in Jadavpur
Jadavpur
Jadavpur is a southern neighbourhood of Kolkata, India. It is bounded by Dhakuria to the north, Tollygunge to the west, Santoshpur to the east and Garia to the south...
- Rajarhat
Rajarhat
Rajarhat Gopalpur , a neighbourhood of Calcutta, located in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, is a fast-growing planned new city. It is situated near the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport. Many high-profile industrialists of national and international standing are...
New Town ( Narkelbagan )
MW9 - Patuli
Patuli
Patuli is a census town under Purbasthali police station of Kalna subdivision in Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Geography:Patuli is located at . It has an average elevation of 18 metres ....
- Howrah
K-Series Non-Aircon Bus Routes of Kolkata
K1 - Kolkata Station - New TownK2 - Dum Dum Station - Ruby Hospital
K3 - Bally Saheb Bagan - Kudghat
K4 - Dakshineswar
Dakshineswar
Dakshineswar is a town in Barrackpore subdivision of North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal.-History:In 1847, Rani Rashmoni of Bengal began the construction of the famous Dakshineswar Kali Temple. Rani, who was a rich and pious widow of colonial Bengal had a divine revelation ordering her to...
- Naktala
K5 - Salt Lake - Joka
Joka
Joka may refer to:* Joka, a character in Klonoa: Door to Phantomile*Joka, Kolkata, a locality in South West Kolkata, India, the home of IIM Calcutta and DesiGuru*Tilapia joka, species of aquarium fish...
K6 - Mandirtala (in Howrah District
Howrah District
Howrah district is a district of the West Bengal state in eastern India. It has thousands of years of rich heritage in the form of the great Bengali kingdom of Bhurshut. The district is named after its headquarters, the city of Howrah.-Geography:...
) - Rajabazar
Rajabazar
Rajabazar is a locality in the city of Kolkata in West Bengal, India. It is located approximately in North-Central Kolkata, between CIT Road and AJC Bose Road. The locality has grown around Narkeldanaga Main Road, now renamed as Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Sarani, which acts as a connector between CIT...
K7 - Bakultala (in Howrah District
Howrah District
Howrah district is a district of the West Bengal state in eastern India. It has thousands of years of rich heritage in the form of the great Bengali kingdom of Bhurshut. The district is named after its headquarters, the city of Howrah.-Geography:...
) - Ruby Hospital
K8 - Basudebpur (Belgharia) - Jadavpur
K9 - Barrackpore
Barrackpore
Barrackpore or Barrackpur is headquarters of Barrackpore subdivision in North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The town was a military and administrative center under British rule, and was the scene of several acts of rebellion against Britain during the 19th century...
- Garia
Garia
Garia is a posh neighbourhood in south Kolkata, India. It includes the localities of Naktala, New Garia, Chak Garia, Garia Park, Baghajatin, Baishnabghata-Patuli, Techno City, Model Town, Ganguly Bagan, Tentulberia, East Tentulberia, Ramgarh, Briji, Kamalgazi, Mahamayatala, Boral, Sreenagar,...
The metered-cabs are mostly of the brand "Ambassador" manufactured by Hindustan Motors
Hindustan Motors
Hindustan Motors is an automobile manufacturer from India. It is part of the Birla Technical Services industrial group. The company was the largest car manufacturer in India before the rise of Maruti Udyog....
. Once in a while, one or two Maruti Omnis can be seen painted in yellow. Recently, air-conditioned cabs (known as "Blue-Arrow") and maroon cabs ( running on Compressed natural gas
Compressed natural gas
Compressed natural gas is a fossil fuel substitute for gasoline , diesel, or propane/LPG. Although its combustion does produce greenhouse gases, it is a more environmentally clean alternative to those fuels, and it is much safer than other fuels in the event of a spill...
) have been introduced. The all-yellow ones have a Bengal permit and the black-yellow (hard to find) ones have a Kolkata city permit. The meters - though digital - are generally out-of-date and there is a conversion chart to refer to while converting the meter-reading to the actual fare. But recently ORIX Auto Infrastructure Services Ltd. has introduced an air-conditioned Radio Taxi service in Kolkata with the name 'Kolkata Cab' with fleets consisting of Indigo Marina only, which has gained popularity among the city dwellers because it has comfortable seats, GPS monitoring, digital tamper-proof meters, receipt printers and lost-and-found facilities. Mega Cabs are also there with the same facilities. Some other prospective Radio Taxis to be rolled in to the city are Easy Cabs and Meru Cabs.
Howrah Bridge
Howrah Bridge
The Howrah Bridge is a cantilever bridge that spans the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India. Commissioned in 1943, the bridge was originally named the New Howrah Bridge, because it links the city of Howrah to its twin city, Kolkata . On 14 June 1965 it was renamed Rabindra Setu, after Rabindranath...
and Vidyasagar Setu
Vidyasagar Setu
Vidyasagar Setu, also known as the Second Hooghly Bridge, is a bridge over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India. It links the city of Kolkata to Howrah. The bridge is a toll bridge for all vehicles. At a total length of 822.96 m, it is the longest cable-stayed bridge in India and one of the...
are two bridges connecting Kolkata with Howrah over the Ganges. Vivekananda Setu
Vivekananda Setu
Vivekananda Setu is a bridge over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India. It links the city of Howrah, at Bally, to its twin city of Kolkata, at Dakshineswar. Built in December 1932, it is a multispan steel bridge and was built to provide road cum rail link between the Calcutta Port and its...
is the third bridge over the river at the northern reach of the city near Dakshineshwar. The fourth one and the newest one is Nivedita Setu
Nivedita Setu
Nivedita Setu is a cable-stayed bridge over Hooghly River that runs parallel to and around 50 m downstream of the old Vivekananda Setu opened in 1932...
. A network of expressways like Kona Expressway which is partially complete, Belghoria Expressway which is under construction, widening of southern stretch of Eastern Metropolitan Bypass are being created to ease up traffic.
Kolkata taxi fares are now available online on http://www.taxiautofare.com. The service also provides a unique fare calculation service that allows users to estimate fares before travelling. Source and Destination can be entered in to get a Google Map route.
Tram
Kolkata is the only city in India to have a tram network. Trams are under the administration of the Calcutta Tramways CompanyCalcutta Tramways Company
The Calcutta Tramways Company Limited is a West Bengal, India government-run company which runs trams in Kolkata and buses in and around Kolkata...
,a government of West Bengal Undertaking, popularly called CTC. The trams are claimed to slow down other traffic, leading to groups who currently voice abolishing the trams. The environment-friendliness and the old charm of the trams attract many people. The tram lines laid in some major roads are being renovated to maintain the tram lines on the same level plane as the rest of the road, thereby smoothening the road.
In places, the original central boulevards reserved only for the trams have been removed,the tram-lines are thus brought in the same plane as that of the road.The usable space of the road for vehicle movement has thereby considerably increased. With embedding of tram tracks in the road surface, the over all surface has become smoother, easing the traffic to some extent.
With the tracks now running in the centre of the heavy traffic roads,commuters are encountering difficulties in getting to the trams' stops through the traffic and as a result, less number of people are able to use the tram easily.Mostly trams are found to be running with many seats vacant even during rush hours.This has also caused reduction of revenue for Calcutta Tram Company.
One possible remedy towards difficulty of approachability to the trams could be to relay the tracks on outside left and the right sides of the road, adjacent to the footpaths.However,relaying the track may not be possible now as the modification will need enormous expenditure.
Light Railway
The proposal for a light railLight rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
transit system on elevated tracks for Kolkata is being pursued by the Government of West Bengal
Government of West Bengal
The Government of West Bengal also known as the State Government of West Bengal, or locally as State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of West Bengal and its 19 districts...
, but it is still on drawing board.
Rickshaws and Auto-rickshaws
Rickshaws pulled by men and auto rickshawAuto rickshaw
An auto rickshaw or three-wheeler is a usually three-wheeled cabin cycle for private use and as a vehicle for hire. It is a motorized version of the traditional pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw...
s are commonplace. Many migrants from Bihar and rural Bengal are involved in Rickshaw pulling. Rickshaws are also on the list of probable abolishments on humanitarian grounds. In southern Kolkata, the rickshaws pulled by men have been replaced by cycle rickshaws. Fares are usually set by the rickshaw unions, and are quite reasonable. These rickshaws usually operate over short distances due to the manual effort involved, and mainly run on narrow lanes where buses and auto-rickshaws don't ply.
Auto-rickshaws have become a very common mode of transport
Mode of transport
Mode of transport is a term used to distinguish substantially different ways to perform transport. The most dominant modes of transport are aviation, land transport, which includes rail, road and off-road transport, and ship transport...
for short distances. They are usually not metered, and are usually shared. There are several routes, and the auto-rickshaws of a particular route ply between two distinct places of that route only. Autorickshaws can accommodate 3 people in the backseat, and one or two passengers in front beside the driver. The fares are usually quite low compared to other metro cities like Delhi and Mumbai, the minimum fare being ₹5.
Airport
The Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International AirportNetaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is an airport located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, serving the greater Kolkata metro area. The airport was originally known as Dum Dum Airport before being renamed in the honour of Subhas Chandra Bose...
(IATA code:CCU) at Dum Dum
Dum Dum
Dum Dum is a city and a municipality in North 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is a neighbourhood in North-west Kolkata and the location of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, formerly Dum Dum Airport.Dum Dum is a well known place in greater Kolkata...
(previously known as Dum Dum airport) is the only airport in the city, operating both domestic and international flights. It is a gateway to North-East India, Bangkok, and Bangladesh. The number of people using the airport has consistently increased over the last few years and there are talks to start another airport in the southern suburbs of the city.
There is a flying club in Behala
Behala
Behala is a neighbourhood in South West Kolkata, in the Indian state of West Bengal. Behala was officially known as South Suburban Municipality until it was merged with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation on January, 1984. Now it is broadly spread across Ward Nos.118 and 132 of the KMC and is...
. After several years of inactivity it has recently been restored.
Port and water-transport
Haldia
Haldia has a typical moderate climate with winter temperatures ranging from a low of around 7 degrees Celsius to a high of 22 degrees Celsius. Winters are chilly and is when the residents hold the Haldia Utsav festival. Summers can be very hot and humid. Usual summer temperatures in May, the...
dock systems, the Kolkata Port Trust
Kolkata Port Trust
The Port of Kolkata is a riverine port in the city of Kolkata, India. It is the oldest operating port in India, having originally been constructed by the British East India Company....
has been amongst top performers in the country. Kolkata Port
Kolkata Port Trust
The Port of Kolkata is a riverine port in the city of Kolkata, India. It is the oldest operating port in India, having originally been constructed by the British East India Company....
has regular passenger services to Port Blair
Port Blair
Port Blair is the largest town and a municipal council in Andaman district in the Andaman Islands and the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India...
from the Netaji Subhas Docks.
Also the twin cities of Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
and Howrah are connected by local water ferries through the extensive ghats like Fairlie Ghat, Howrah Ghat, Shibpur Ghat, Prinsep Ghat, Cossipore Ghat, etc. Small boats are used for recreational purpose. There are plans to start utilizing the canals running through the city as water-transport network. The first service is scheduled to start from September 2006 - and would cover the Belgachhia-Laketown stretch of Kestopur Canal.
Besides all this mode of transport, like in other Indian cities, walking is very common way to commute between the workplace and nearest railway station or bus stop. Privately owned cars, though less in number and usage compared to other large cities in India, are growing by leaps and bounds and are slowly becoming the transport of choice for a large number of people being helped by the growing economy, higher per capita income and the easy availability of loans from financial institutions.