Kolkata - SIliguri via Deogarh - Bhagalpur - Purnea


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I travelled to Siliguri on week 48 (21st-29th Nov 2015) through Kolkata-Asansol-Deoghar-Bhagalpur-Purnea-Dalkhola-Islampur-Siliguri route. It is 700km in distance. There was small jam before reaching bhagalpur town, stayed one night (terrible hotel service). We started at 5:30 am from Kolkata ( me, wife and son) and reached Bhagalpur around 7 pm. Road from kolkata to asansol ( need to take right turn at one place, this route bypasses Asansol) is very good ( all 4 lanes but repair/expansion going on). From this right turn to Deoghar is single lane but very thin and good condition, some big speed breakers are there but over all nice journey, goes thrugh chittaranjan, jamtara, etc. From Deoghar to Bhagalpur also single lane but road is over all ok with some problem in 8-10 km stretch..this route goes via banka, amarpur, etc.
Next day from Bhagalpur to Siliguri, started at 9:45 am but immediately after crossing Ganga Bridge ( takshashila bridge) road condition is very bad for around 6-8 km..need to drive very slow and carefully..then a single lane highway comes up (after right turn) which goes till purnea and is very good..you can travel above 100KM on this road. After Purnea road till siliguri airport ( little bit before it) is 4 lane and very good condition. Overall it was a nice journey. We came back same route but avoided staying in Bhagalpur due to bad experience, instead stayed at Amrapali Clarke Inn at Deoghar..it was a very good hotel and nice service..in future if i travel through this route..i'll stay here only.
Wanted to share about this route for new travellers want to go North Bengal..
 
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Re: Kolkata-SIliguri via Deogarh-Bhagalpur-Purnea

Thanks for the information. If you have then please upload some pictures of the road and the hotel.

And Happy Birthday in advance
 
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Kolkata-SIliguri via Deogarh-Bhagalpur-Purnea

wow !
it's good too hear someone from TAI passed on this route(i.e. asansol-chittaranjan- jamtara).i live in chittaranjan.
planning for a getaway if you can share some pics it might help us explore a new destination
 
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I travelled to Siliguri on week 48 (21st-29th Nov 2015) through Kolkata-Asansol-Deoghar-Bhagalpur-Purnea-Dalkhola-Islampur-Siliguri route. It is 700km in distance. There was small jam before reaching bhagalpur town, stayed one night (terrible hotel service).
Will you please mention the name of the hotel, so that I may avoid it the next time? IMHO all hotels in Bhagalpore town are needlessly expensive. They undoubtedly charge more than the facilities they offer. I stayed in Hotel Rajhans International this year in summer, when I was returning from my trip to north Bengal. I was once told that it was the best hotel in Bhagalpur and of course it had a good car parking place, yet their services were poor and mosquitoes inside the room were a menace.
We started at 5:30 am from Kolkata (me, wife and son) and reached Bhagalpur around 7 pm. Road from kolkata to asansol (need to take right turn at one place, this route bypasses Asansol) is very good (all 4 lanes but repair/expansion going on). From this right turn to Deoghar is single lane but very thin and good condition, some big speed breakers are there but over all nice journey, goes thrugh chittaranjan, jamtara, etc.
Did you take right turn from the Chowringhee crossing on NH-2, where the road to Niyamatpur emerges on your left? Or did you take the right turn directly opposite to the jubilee pump (the large Indianoil outlet on NH-2)?
From Deoghar to Bhagalpur also single lane but road is over all ok with some problem in 8-10 km stretch..this route goes via banka, amarpur, etc.
Do you somehow remember driving through a small place called Katoria?

Next day from Bhagalpur to Siliguri, started at 9:45 am but immediately after crossing Ganga Bridge (takshashila bridge) road condition is very bad for around 6-8 km.
Hate to ask this but are you somehow referring to the Vikramshila bridge (setu)? Or are you referring to the Taxila bridge, which is located in the neighboring state of Pakistan?
After Purnea road till siliguri airport (little bit before it) is 4 lane and very good condition. Overall it was a nice journey.
Are you sure that the road is four lane all the way, till shortly before Bagdogra? Am asking this because few of my friends still tells me that a good stretch of road both near Islampur and one other place (sorry forgot the name) is yet to be converted into four lane! Is my information incorrect?
We came back same route but avoided staying in Bhagalpur due to bad experience, instead stayed at Amrapali Clarke Inn at Deoghar..it was a very good hotel and nice service..in future if i travel through this route..i'll stay here only.
Will you please share the room charge as well?
Wanted to share about this route for new travellers want to go North Bengal.
Thanks a lot. It indeed inspires me for yet another trip to north Bengal. Sincerely appreciate your feedback.
 
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Hi Rahul,
Hotel in Bhagalpur was Raj International (same one you used), pathetic service. On return journey it was Amrapali Clarke Inn in Deoghar ( very good). Price was same Rs3000/night for a double bed room.

It is Vikramshila setu ( the long bridge), thanks.

I did cross katoria. NH2 to Deoghar, took right turn after Asansol ( before reaching Kulti)..i am sorry do not know the name but it was shown on GPS and also asked one road side hotel.

Road is 4 lane but maybe single lane for very short distance while crossing towns/cities..but overall 4 lane.

Tips: Please talk to local people about direction in Bihar, to understand the roads, they are helpful, they even drew on notebook.
If you plan to stay overnight, please stay in Deoghar and start early next morning. Do not stay in Bhagalpur.

Chandra/Ashu: I have some pics but they are of roads only and currently i do not know how to upload them here. If you can tell me your email i can send or alternately if you know the process to upload please help.. Also if you need any specific information please let me know..

Total Journey reading was 700Km ( rajarhat Kolkata to Siliguri).
 
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Thanks Chandra...i am attaching some pics...
 

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Hello every one....
It seems the kolkata -siliguri route is a route which is most talked of... not only for the beauty of the destination but also more so for the infamous condition of the road...
well... to contribute my two bits and also to update other travelers.... i recently completed a kolkata-siliguri-kolkata journey. withing the last 3 days. 1 day to go - 1 days work - 1 day to get back. Since this route is not a common 500km+ route like delhi ahmedabad or delhi allahabad, I had done some studies... asked a few friends... read up on the various blogs available on the net on the various sites bcmt, tbhp, automotive india etc.

Now coming to the meat of the matter. Since it was one days work, i was traveling alone. The route I followed was:

Stage I : kolkata - rabindra sadan metro xing (I stay in south kolkata)- vidyasagar setu - kona exp - join DGP exp - burdhaman bypass - panagarh - durgapur - raniganj - asansol bypass.

Stage II: exit asansol bypass at jubilee petrol pump - (enter mdr 193) panchgachia - batash more - nala jn - masalia - dumka (enter on the northern part, so most of the dumka city traffic is bypassed) - dumka deoghar road (nh114A) - deoghar bypass - (sh22) katoria jn - banka - amarpur - bhagalpur - vikramshila setu - tetri (on nh31)

Stage III: Tetri (on nh31) - purnea bypass - dalkola jn - islampur - siliguri.

both ways the journey was started at 3am.
time taken kol - slg : 14h20m/ 750km
time taken slg- kol:13h30m/760km

the return journey was reciprocal except the last part where i took the nivedita setu and used the belghoria exp and em bypass to reach home.

condition of road (kol - slg)
Stage I: fantastic roads till the 4lane ends just before panagarh. single lane after that but road condition good. road condition keeps changing from single lane to 4 lane and vice versa due to road widening work going on. minimal traffic since it was early morning.

Stage II: again fantastic roads (i would say almost as good as exp quality) till dumka. around 5km stretch of katcha road (but not broken or with potholes like NH34) after dumka. again fantastic roads till deoghar. after deoghar road construction work is on. the road is narrow and slightly bad till 3km inside bihar. thereafter SH22 is awesome till bhagalpur. Exceptions are there when approaching and inside the towns of katoria, banka and amarpur and thereafter bhagalpur. The vikramshila setu is also nothing great to talk of.

Stage III: Once on the NH31 at Tetri the initial 10km is slow moving due to the local traffic and market which spreads onto the highway from tetri to naugachia. thereafter smooth sailing all the way till dalkola toll post. at this point you need to decide which side of the road you are going to be to avoid getting caught in the line of trucks. the roads after that till kishanganj is 4 lane but in my opinion worse than the single lane of jharkhand and bihar... simple because of the road condition. filled with potholes, broken surface, top layer gone .... this was the worst stretch in the whole journey. kishanganj has its usual traffic hold up due to buses, tempos, trucks. after kishanganj the road is better... better but not good. isalmpur stretch is single lane with its own share of broken surface and potholes. after islampur the road is again 4 lane but only till ghoshpukur. thereafter again single lane till bagdogra and slg. the road between bagdogra and siliguri is under widening construction. another 2 years work or so...

well folks thats it..

hope the update helps all those who require.
regards.
 
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I travelled to Siliguri on week 48 (21st-29th Nov 2015) through Kolkata-Asansol-Deoghar-Bhagalpur-Purnea-Dalkhola-Islampur-Siliguri route. We came back same route but avoided staying in Bhagalpur due to bad experience, instead stayed at Amrapali Clarke Inn at Deoghar..it was a very good hotel and nice service.
Wanted to share about this route for new travellers want to go North Bengal..
Hello every one....
It seems the kolkata -siliguri route is a route which is most talked of... not only for the beauty of the destination but also more so for the infamous condition of the road...
well... to contribute my two bits and also to update other travelers.... i recently completed a kolkata-siliguri-kolkata journey. coming to the meat of the matter. Since it was one days work, i was traveling alone. The route I followed was:
both ways the journey was started at 3am.
time taken kol - slg : 14h20m/ 750km
time taken slg- kol:13h30m/760km
Hello,
I took the same route from Calcutta, when I went to Sikkim in the first week of May. While going I started from my home at Cossipore (North Calcutta) in the morning at two O'clock, taking the Bardhaman-Guskara-Sriniketan More-Purandarpur-Siuri-Dumka-Deoghar-Katoria-Banka-Amarpur-Bhagalpur-Purnea route. Initially I thought of leaving little earlier (at around eleven at the night) but was not willing to cover the Sheorakuri More-Messanjore stretch well after sunrise.

While going I stopped for the night at Siliguri, which I reached in slightly less than sixteen hours (actually I went to Sikkim). I reached there even before sunset, with ample lights of the day.

While returning I started from Darjeeling at eight in the morning. Reached Deoghar before seven at the evening, where I halted for the night.

In this respect I shall also better mention that my past experiences about Bhagalpur town had made me wiser this time, as while coming from Amarpur side I chose the railway level crossing to reach Muslim college-Tatarpur Chowk-Kotwali Chowk-Tilka Manji Chowk route. With this route I was out of Bhagalpur in less than fifteen minutes. I did the same route also while returning. The road was totally good, except in between Katoria and Banka. But this stretch is not long and the potholes, though are deep, are placed apart at a reasonable distance and you can notice them from a distance.
Regards,
Rahul
 
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Dear Mates, request your suggestion for my upcoming tour. I am planning togo to Malda on 8 April by self-driven baleno. Request your help to decide the best route regarding road condition as my 2 year child also be apart. I am planning to leave Kolkata by 5 am. Some of my friends inform that NH34 is in moderate condition. Any view about NH 34 road condition.
 
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Are you driving straight up to Siliguri from Calcutta? Do you wish to drive the whole stretch at a time, without any stopover in between for night? NH-34 is possibly in the best shape in a decade. But with notorious Kaliachalk, Maldah and Dalkhola traffic, you may never be sure to reach your destination in your anticipated time. Though there are diversions to avoid most of these places (in case there is anything wrong), it is difficult for the first timer in this route to trace and successfully use them. Also, some of these escape routes are often narrow and are in bad shape. If you know them fairly well, please go ahead. Otherwise it shall be advisable to stop for the night either at Maldah or at Islampur or at any other place you seem fit.
Of course, this is my personal suggestion and any difference of opinion is very much solicited.
 
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Kolkata to Bhutan on Road

Can anyone tell me about the road condition of Kolkata to Siliguri .

I am planning to take a road trip from 10th April
 
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Re: Kolkata to Bhutan on Road

I plan to travel by NH34 , since i have heard that road conditions have improved. My plan is Kolkata - Burdwan - Mourgram - then NH34.

Any suggestion regarding this route? Road condition of NH34?
 

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