Tarun Kapoor, advisor to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday, 26 September 2026, visited Dankuni station of Eastern Railway (ER) to review ongoing redevelopment works at the historic junction near Kolkata. The station, a key node on the Howrah/Sealdah–New Delhi corridor, is being upgraded into a major freight and coaching terminal at an estimated cost of ₹18.66 crore.

High-Level Review at ER Headquarters

Prior to the site visit, Kapoor chaired a review meeting at the Eastern Railway headquarters to assess the pace of infrastructure projects and sharpen the focus on passenger amenities. ER General Manager Gitika Pandey and other senior railway officials accompanied him throughout the day. The meeting underscored the Centre's intent to accelerate pending works and raise operational standards across the zone.

What Kapoor Inspected at Dankuni

At the station, Kapoor examined the operating layout, booking counters, and One Station One Product (OSOP) stalls — a Railways initiative to promote local products at station premises. The primary focus was on evaluating passenger convenience, improving operational efficiency, and ensuring timely delivery of remaining project components.

Dankuni station, first built in 1917, records an average daily footfall of more than 30,000 passengers. Works already completed include the ground floor of the main station building, elevation renovation, porch construction, circulating and parking areas, platform surfaces and sheds, upgraded illumination systems, and train information and GPS clock systems (TIB/CGDB).

Yard Remodelling and Coaching Terminal Plans

Earlier this year, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed Parliament that remodelling work at the Dankuni yard — involving extension of the shunting line and upgrades to signalling and interlocking arrangements — has been sanctioned at ₹27.18 crore. Preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for a dedicated coaching terminal at Dankuni has also been initiated.

Dedicated Freight Corridor: Dankuni to Surat

The Union Budget 2026 announced a new Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) connecting Dankuni in West Bengal to Surat in Gujarat, a strategically significant east-west freight link. Work on preparing and updating the DPR for this corridor has already begun. This comes amid the Railways' broader push to decongest the Howrah–Delhi trunk route and boost freight throughput across eastern India.

Notably, Dankuni's development as a combined freight and coaching hub positions it as a linchpin in the Railways' eastern logistics strategy. With high-level political oversight now added to the mix, completion timelines for pending works are expected to firm up in the coming weeks.