 |
How to Go West Bangal
The total length of
surface road in West Bengal is over 92,023 km (57,180 mi);
national highways comprise 2,377 km (1,477 mi) and state
highways 2,393 km (1,487 mi). The road density of the state is
103.69 km per 100 sq km (166.92 mi per 100 sq mi), higher than the
national average of 74.7 km per 100 sq km (120 mi per 100 sq
mi). Average speed on state highways varies between 40–50 km/h
(25–31 mi/h); in villages and towns, speeds are as low as 20–25 km/h
(12–16 mi/h) due to the substandard quality of road constructions
and low maintenance. Total railway length is 3,825 km (2,377
mi). Kolkata is the headquarters of two divisions of the Indian
Railways—Eastern Railway and South Eastern Railway. The
Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) plies in the northern parts of the
state. The Kolkata metro is the country's first underground
railway. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, part of NFR, is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The state's only international airport is Netaji Subhash Chandra
Bose International Airport at Dum Dum, Kolkata; which is the 7th
busiest in india. Bagdogra airport near Siliguri is another
significant airport in the state. Kolkata is a major river-port in
eastern India. The Kolkata Port Trust manages both the Kolkata docks
and the Haldia docks. There is passenger service to Port Blair
on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and cargo ship service to ports
in India and abroad, operated by the Shipping Corporation of India.
Ferry is a principal mode of transport in the southern part of the
state, especially in the Sundarbans area. Kolkata is the only city
in India to have trams as a mode of transport and these are operated
by the Calcutta Tramways Company.
Several government-owned organisations operate substandard bus
services in the state, including the Calcutta State Transport
Corporation, the North Bengal State Transport Corporation, the South
Bengal State Transport Corporation, the West Bengal Surface
Transport Corporation, and the Calcutta Tramways Company, thus
leading to mismanagement. There are also private bus companies. The
railway system is a nationalised service without any private
investment. Hired forms of transport include metered taxis and auto
rickshaws which often ply specific routes in cities. In most of the
state, cycle rickshaws, and in Kolkata, hand-pulled rickshaws, are
also used for short-distance travel.
Kolkata is normally the gateway to the state but there are entry
points all around. Two commercial airports are at Kolkata and
Bagdogra. The state has a number of smaller airports. Railways link
it with other states from all sides. Major road connections are NH 2
from Delhi, NH 5 from Chennai, NH 6 from western India and NH 31
from Guwahati. Major ports are Kolkata and Haldia. There are a
number of smaller ports. |