Kolkata is well connected by rail to almost all the big stations in India and also serves as the gateway to North-Eastern India. The cities two major railway stations are Howrah (not in Kolkata actually, it's in the adjoining city Howrah) and Sealdah. A new terminus station called 'Kolkata' has also started functioning since 2005, but presently it accommodates very few trains.
The Maitree Express provides a direct link between Kolkata and Dhaka, the capital of neighboring Bangladesh. Train depart from Dhaka on Tuesdys and Sundays at 9:30AM, arriving 6:45PM the same evening.
Directly facing Howrah are ferries (Rs. 4) that can get you to the other side of the river to either Babu Ghat or Fairlie Place from where you can arrange onward transportation with anything from taxis to public buses to human rickshaws. With Kolkata's traffic situation this might actually save you time as well as money.
If you are coming to Kolkata by trains using Sealdah station, you may prefer taking a pre-paid taxi to enter the city. The pre-paid taxi stand is just outside the station's main entrance. The counter is under a tin shade.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Kolkata
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Kolkata - updated May 2024
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Kolkata Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
