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Regional Travel and Commuting Patterns: A Study of the Oldest Suburban Railway Line in Eastern India

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Railway Transportation in South Asia

Part of the book series: Contemporary South Asian Studies ((CSAS))

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Abstract

This chapter provides an analysis of the role of the Howrah–Bardhaman Main Line on the regional division along the railway corridor. The analysis here conducted is based on both primary data and secondary sources, applying, in confluence, quantitative and qualitative methods and cartographic techniques. The regional differences within the suburban corridor have been examined using parameters such as the outflow of commuters, the availability of suburban trains, differences between layover times, distances between stations and the commuters’ cultural variances. This regional division produces two distinct zones: the first is the Howrah–Bandel section which lies within the Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA), and the second is the Bandel–Bardhaman section lying outside the KMA but falling within the territory of the Kolkata Metropolitan Region (KMR).

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Meaning, a station where passenger trains are usually halted for some time.

  2. 2.

    2000 Indian Rupees equals to around 23.33 Euro (as on July 16, 2020).

  3. 3.

    25 Indian Rupees equals to 0.29 Euro (as on July 16, 2020).

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Acknowledgements

This research was carried out with the financial contribution of the University Grants Commission (UGC) in the form of a Junior and Senior Research Fellowship. We are most grateful.

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Mondal, B., Samanta, G. (2021). Regional Travel and Commuting Patterns: A Study of the Oldest Suburban Railway Line in Eastern India. In: Mitra, S., Bandyopadhyay, S., Roy, S., Ponce Dentinho, T. (eds) Railway Transportation in South Asia. Contemporary South Asian Studies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-76878-2_5

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