‘Siliguri-Ranchi bus service set to revive after 10-yr hiatus’

Cooch Behar: The North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) is set to revive the Siliguri-Rachi bus service after a 10-year hiatus. Additionally, new bus services on various routes are planned for the New Year to cater to the public’s needs.

Partha Pratim Roy, Chairman of NBSTC, addressed these developments in a press conference at the corporation’s headquarters on Tuesday. Extra buses and extended timings are also slated for special events like the Cooch Behar Book Fair, Alipurduar Dooars Festival and Alipurduar District Book Fair in Falakata. Roy mentioned: “Despite buses being available from Siliguri to Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling, there has been no direct bus service from the headquarters, Cooch Behar, to Darjeeling. To address this, the Cooch Behar to Darjeeling bus service will be launched in the New Year.”

He added that new buses are planned for routes from Kolkata to Siliguri, Kolkata to Cooch Behar and Alipurduar. The fleet will comprise 3 AC buses and 9 rocket buses, replacing older vehicles. The Maynaguri to Dhapra bus service, previously closed, will also be reinstated.

Roy outlined: “In the first week of the New Year, services on several routes, including Bihar, where NBSTC buses used to operate but are currently closed, will resume.” The NBSTC has acquired 43 new buses, with an additional 30 CNG buses expected. Plans include the swift launch of these buses on various routes.

The Siliguri-Rachi bus service, resuming after a decade due to registration and paperwork complications, will operate three 55-seater buses. Following the Siliguri-Jalpaiguri route, NBSTC will initiate a 27-seater Cooch Behar-Darjeeling bus service three days a week in the coming year.