Durgapur is an industrial metropolis in the state of West Bengal in India about 160 km from Kolkata. It was a dream child of the great visionary Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, the second chief minister of the state. The well laid out industrial township was designed by Joseph Allen Stein and Benjamin Polk It is home to the largest industrial unit in the state, Durgapur Steel Plant, one of the integrated steel plants of Steel Authority of India Limited. Alloy Steels Plant of SAIL is also located here. There are a number of power plants, chemical and engineering industries. Some metallurgical units have come up in recent years. It also has National Institute of Technology, Durgapur, one of the NITs of the country, and Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute.
How to Reach
The following trains reach Durgapur directly from their originating stations.
Originating Station: Howrah.
Train No. Name Dep.at 12019 Shatabdi Exp (except Sun) 06:05 13317 Black Diamond Exp 06:15 13051 Doon Exp 06:45 31448 Shaktipunj Exp 14:30 12339 Coalfield Exp 17:15 12341 Agnibina Exp 18:20 12333 Vibhuti Exp 20:00
From Sealdah:
3503 Intercity Exp 16:40
From New Delhi/Delhi 2314 Rajdhani Exp 16:45 2304/2382 Poorva Exp 16:25 2312 Kalka Mail 06:30 (at Delhi)
Some of the long distance trains passing through Durgapur are: 2313/2314 Sealdah New Delhi Rajdhani Express, 2381/2382 or 2303/2304 Howrah-New Delhi Poorva Express 2311/2312 Howrah Delhi Kalka Mail, 2321/2322 Howrah Mumbai Mail (via Allahabad), 3009/3010 Howrah Dehra Dun Doon Express, 3151/3152 Sealdah Jammu Tawi, 3025/3026 Howrah Bhopal (departing Howrah on Monday, departing Bhopal on Wednesday), 1448/1449 Howrah Jabalpur Shaktipunj Express, 1159/1160 Howrah Gwalior Chambal Express (departing Howrah on Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday; departing Gwalior on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday), 9306/9305 Howrah Indore Shipra Express (departing Howrah on Monday, Thursday, Saturday; departing Indore on Tuesaday, Thursday, Saturday), 5630/5629 Guwahati Chennai Egmore Express (departing Guwahati Friday, departing Egmore on Monday), 5930/5929 Dibrugarh Chennai Egmore Express (departing Dibrugarh on Sunday, departing Egmore on Monday), 3007/3008 Howrah Sriganganagar Udyan Abha Toofan Express, 3049/3050 Howrah Amritsar Express, 3005/3006 Howrah Amritsar Mail, 2023/2024 Howrah Patna Jan Shatabdi Express (No train on Sunday), 2329/2330 Sealdah Delhi West Bengal Sampark Kranti Express, 3019/3020 Howrah Kathgodam Bagh Express, 3021/3022 Howrah Raxaul Mithila Express, 5640/5639 Guwahati Puri Express (departing Guwahati on Thursday, Departing Puri on Saturday). For timings etc. check with Indian Railways.
Durgapur is on Grand Trunk Road (NH-2). Buses ply regularly between Durgapur and Kolkata and back.Ordinary buses as well as AC Volvo coaches & Mercedes Benz buses run by the South Bengal State Transport Corporation (SBSTC), West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation (WBSTC) and private operators depart from City Centre in Durgapur to reach the Esplanade Bus Terminus in Kolkata in under three hours. Some buses go to Karunamayee in Salt Lake. Besides, buses from Burdwan, Bankura, Asansol, different places in North Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar etc. also travel to Durgapur.
Get around
You car is your best friend in this city. Options of public transport are also available. Taxis are readily available at the railway station and certain other fixed points. These do not operate on meters but on arbitrary fixed rates. Therefore, bargain properly before you move out. Auto rickshaws like the taxis, charge arbitrary rates and operate from the railway station and certain fixed points. Those on business travel generally hire out a car for the day. Rickshaws are available for shorter trips. Minibuses are generally too crowded and often go around circuitous routes. There are buses run by the South Bengal State Transport Corporation (SBSTC) too, but their services are infrequent. Nearly all minibuses and SBSTC buses travel between the railway station and Prantika in Benachiti through different routes.
Buy
Durgapur is an industrial city and you get things such as steel and carbon black. However, for general purchases Benachity is normally the place. You get the Bankura horse (terracota and wood) and the Vishnupur Baluchari. Nowadays you can get a lot of things here.
Eat
Most of the hotels have restaurants. Apart from that there are good places for eating in Benachity. Banskopa Inn on GT Road, between Muchipara and Rajbandh, is a good place out of town. A lot of restaurants have come up. However most of the restaurants serve the same food with only quality being the difference. Also try out the road side dhabas on G.T.Road near to NIT for some great rotis and tadkas at unbelievable rates.
Reproduced from Wikipedia
