Presenting some pictures of one of the most important junctions of the Kolkata Suburban railway, and the gateway into Nadia district and northern bengal, Ranaghat Junction. Ranaghat serves it's namesake city which happened to be the earlier headquarters of the Nadia district before Krishnanagar took over. Though Krishnanagar is larger in area, Ranaghat comfortably eclipses it's district HQs in population. Ranaghat is very compact but very densely populated.
Ranaghat grew in significance after the war of 1971 when a huge number of refugees settled here
Ranaghat Junction is a...
more... 4 point junction with lines converging from Naihati and Bongaon, and branching off towards Krishnanagar and Gede...
Both Gede and Bongaon are major transit points from India into Bangladesh through Gede-Darsana and Bongaon-Petrapole-Benapole lines. Furthermore the Dhaka Kolkata Maitreyi Express passes through Ranaghat into the Gede side. Moreover the Naida district shares several river borders with Bangladesh. Understandably there is a strong presence of BSF at both Ranaghat and Krishnanagar. The line from Krishnanagar extends off towards Murshidabad and is terminated at Lalgola. Understandably Ranaghat is a highly patronized station with six platforms... RHA also has a function EMU/MEMU carshed mainly used in the SDAH main local lines, and for the RHA-LGL section.
Platforms 1 & 2 cater towards the traffic from the Naihati side to the Krishnanagar side, Gede locals are usually taken up platform number 3. Platform number 4 is nearly an island platform catering exclusively to trains pertaining to Bongaon. Platform 5 & 6 built as an extension to platform 1 cater mostly to Sealdah-Ranaghat local trains.
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Pictures 1-3 :- View from platforms 5-6, RHA station board, OHE maintainence vehicle .
Pictures 4-5 :- The platform number 4 catering almost exclusively to Bongaon Traffic.
Picture 6 :- Lines branching off towards Bongaon from the Ranaghat-Naihaiti line.
Pictures 7-9 :- View towards the main platforms from 5,6, towards the KNJ, GEDE side.
Pictures 10-12 :- AJNI WAG-9 31750 leads a freight load from the Kanchrapara end.
Pictures 13-15 :- Pictures of platform 5-6 from both ends.
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Camera used :- MOTO G5 plus
Picture credit :- Self
