Howrah Station

Howrah Station (Bengali: হাওড়া স্টেশন Hāōṛā Sṭeshon, IR code: HWH), also known as Howrah Junction, is a major railway station of Kolkata in India. It not only connects the city to the rest of the country, but also acts as a major hub to connect different destinations of West Bengal and beyond.

Howrah (HOW-rrah) is India's largest railway complex with 23 platforms. It is also India's busiest station with over 600 trains arriving per day, and about 550 million people using it every year. The station is at Howrah, Kolkata's "twin city", next to the iconic Howrah Bridge. The area around Howrah Station and Howrah Bridge is considered a world of its own, catering to the needs of a huge floating population of over a million.

Howrah Station is the first railway station of Eastern India, being established in 1854, with its first railway service to Hooghly beginning on 15 August of the same year. At the time, Howrah Station was just a single line and platform, with a ticket window and a supporting building.

The Howrah-Hooghly line was extended to Pandua two weeks later, then to Raniganj in February 1855. Over 1,09,000 passengers used the service in the first four months.

The increase of residents in the Greater Calcutta area and the booming economy lead to an increasing demand for rail travel. The rail network growing continuously, with the Bengal-Nagpur Railway (BNR) being extended to Howrah in 1900. So, a new station building was proposed in 1901, which now becomes the Old Complex. The building was designed by British architect Halsey Ricardo, and was opened to the public on 1 December 1905.

The inaugural Rajdhani Express departed Howrah for New Delhi on 3 March 1969, which is considered a milestone in the station's history.

The number of platforms of the station was 15 in the 1980s. The New Complex was completed in 1992, thus increasing the number to 18. This was extended by a further four platforms in 2009, and an additional platform in 2026.

The metro station was planned as early as 1971, and was opened to the public on 6 March 2024.

• Howrah Division, Eastern Railway

Howrah Station is served by both broad-gauge railways as well as the standard-gauge Kolkata Metro. The broad-gauge railways are divided into two zones:

• Eastern Railway  E : Operates Howrah–Gaya, Howrah–New Delhi, Howrah–New Jalpaiguri and Howrah–Prayagraj–Mumbai lines.
• South Eastern Railway  SE : Operates Howrah–Chennai and Howrah–Nagpur–Mumbai lines.

The broad-gauge railways terminate at one of the two following terminals:

• 22.5831888.342751 Old Complex (Terminal 1). The original British-built terminal. It consists of platforms 1 to 15.  (updated Aug 2025)
• 22.581788.34222 New Complex (Terminal 2). The newly-built terminal far south. It consists of platforms 17 to 24. The New Cab Road divides it into two separate buildings: one for platforms 17 to 21, and the other for platforms 22 to 24.  (updated Aug 2025)

• 22.58370588.3396973 Howrah Metro  2  (code: HWHM). It is served by the Green Line only, which connects Howrah to Esplanade and Salt Lake. The line has attracted tourists due to the underwater tunnel segment under Hooghly River, which is indicated by dense blue LED lights in the tunnel.  (updated Aug 2025)

Howrah Station is mainly served by city buses, including minibuses.

• 22.5853788.342364 Howrah Bus Terminus. The main terminal with buses from Kolkata and its suburbs.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 22.58428388.3435325 Howrah Bus Stop. For buses that don't terminate at Howrah Station.  (updated Jul 2026)

Howrah Station's road infrastructure is unique among India's major stations. The station is on the four-lane Rishi Bankim Chandra Road (RBC Road), formerly Lower Foreshore Road, with right-hand traffic. It has one lane towards the Howrah Bridge and three lanes at the opposite direction, two of which are used as taxi lanes. There are two large parking lots opposite New Complex.

In addition, there are two one-way "cab roads" for motor vehicles along the length of platforms, namely Old Cab Road between platforms 8 and 9, and New Cab Road between platforms 21 and 22. They allow passengers to be dropped near rail compartments, with the Bankim Setu at the ends of the platforms allowing motor vehicles to exit the station quickly.

Howrah's iconic prepaid taxi stand with yellow taxis is on the two lanes of RBC Road. There used to be queues at taxi counters before they were effectively shut down in favour of the Yatri Sathi app, developed by West Bengal's IT department. The app is available on both Android and iOS.

22.582688.34376 Howrah Ferry Ghat is opposite the station. You have to either cross the four-lane RBC Road, or use one of the subways connecting the ferry ghat to the station. It takes ₹5 to cross the river from/to Howrah.

The three parts of Howrah Station are connected by an uncovered path. From the Old Complex, go through the archway next to Platform 12 with a sign "Way to Platform No. 17 to 23". The metro station is at the right of the archway. The New Complex entrance is at straight across the metro station, next to "Sainik Aramgah" (military restroom).

Within Old or New Complex, beware of the cab roads while navigating the platforms.

You can take a battery-operated vehicle (BOV) within Howrah Station to avoid walking long distances. It is particularly useful for people with disabilities.

There are large, covered waiting areas inside both complexes for passengers awaiting connecting trains.

• 22.5829988.342981 Executive Lounge, Old Complex, 1F. Accessible from stairs as well as lifts.  (updated Aug 2025)
• 22.58133288.3421082 Maa Tara A/C Waiting Hall, 1F, New Complex, ☏ +91 75620 04030. The lounge contains deluxe sofas, bathing facility with hot and cold water options, and complete food & refreshment facility. Has separate waiting hall for women. Wheelchair available at the sahyog (সহযোগ sohojōg) desk near the stairs. You can also use the lift nearby to get into the AC lounge.  (updated Sep 2026)
• 22.5808988.342053 Executive Lounge, New Complex (at the warehouse-like building housing platforms 22-24), ☏ +91 98310 84442.  (updated Aug 2025)

There are a few attractions within and around the station compound.

• 22.583688.343181 Big Clock (বড় ঘড়ি Boṛo Ghoṛi).  (updated Aug 2025)
• 22.5832788.342882 Gandhi Memorial Plaque. A bilingual plaque, with one side is in Bengali and other side is in Hindi. It talks about Mahatma Gandhi's meeting with stalwarts like Surendranath Banerjea and Motilal Ghosh while living in Calcutta (present-day Kolkata) in 1896. Then it mentions that Gandhi joined Congress in its 1901 Calcutta session, and the Congress accepted Gandhi's resolution against the discrimination of South African Indians. It also mentions the historical meeting between Gandhi and Tagore at Santiniketan in March 1915 and the presence of Gandhi Memorial Museum in his memory at Barrackpore.  (updated Aug 2025)
• 22.5824888.34313 Steam locomotive AK6. A steam locomotive built by W. G. Bagnall for narrow-gauge McLeod's Light Railways in 1914, now on public display.  (updated Aug 2025)

Alcohols are not permitted to sell here due to the Indian Railways' broader anti-alcohol policy.

• 22.5829988.342591 Food Plaza (ফুডপ্লাজা Phuḍ Plājā) (near PF 12). A food court run by Indian Railway Catering and Ticketing Corporation (IRCTC).  (updated Jul 2026)
• 22.5829688.342672 Jan Ahaar (জন আহার Jon Āhār) (near PF 12). 5AM-1PM. Both non-veg and veg available. Veg foods are cooked and served separately.  (updated Jul 2026)

• 22.58198288.3416813 Comesum, Food Track. 10AM–10PM. ₹200–400.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 22.5807688.342014 Food Court (at the warehouse-like building housing platforms 22-23).  (updated Aug 2025)
• 22.58125188.3421275 M/s Shiv & Sons, GF. 24 hours daily. Both non-veg and veg available.  (updated Jul 2026)
• 22.58233988.3413066 Railway Canteen.  (updated Sep 2026)
• 22.58160488.3422997 Sendha (সেনধা Sendhā), ☏ +91 70422 70033. 24 hours daily. ₹200–400.  (updated Jul 2026)

Several small stalls can be found around the station selling books. Automatic teller machines (ATMs) of various banks are available.

• 22.58142788.3417181 One Station One Product, PF 21, New Complex. Local handicrafts.  (updated Sep 2026)

Like most railway stations, Howrah has a free Wi-Fi service named RailWire. There are also some private telecom operators providing free Wi-Fi at the station, including JioNet.

• 22.58139888.3421481 EV Charging Station, New Complex.  (updated Jul 2026)

• 22.58083288.3417342 Cloak Room, New Complex.  (updated Jul 2026)

• Pay & Use Toilet Complex, Old Complex (near PF 12, towards the side exit of the Old Complex). Separate toilet rooms for men and women at both sides of the complex. (updated Jul 2026)
• Toilet, New Complex (at PF 22). Separate toilet rooms for men and women. (updated Jul 2026)

Other than the railway hotel listed below, there are hotels nearby in Howrah and Esplanade.

• 22.58288.3421 Sampath Rail Yatri Niwas (at New Complex), ☏ +91 33 2660 1742. Contains a dormitory, single-room, and double-room accommodations. Dorm ₹100/bed, Double Non-AC ₹350, Double AC ₹550, Triple Non-AC ₹400.  (updated Aug 2025)

There's a common scam while booking tickets from Howrah at the ticket counter of the New Complex. Here, you'll encounter two stations, "Howrah" (HWH) and "Howrah South NC" (HWHS), even though New Complex (NC) is not a separate station. If you take a Howrah-bound train and alight at the New Complex, beware of the scammers in the name of train ticket examiners (TTEs). They will ask you to give "fine" for alighting at "Howrah South NC" (HWHS) instead of "Howrah" (HWH). You should ignore such demands and politely reply that there's no station named "Howrah South NC", and both Old and New Complexes bear the same station code "HWH".

Howrah and Kolkata are obvious places to visit for travellers trapped here. With a rich colonial history and a unique cosmopolitan culture, it is hard to be bored in Kolkata.