[black_panther]

Originally Posted by gmhossain

So based on our recent trip to Malda in which we drove through parts of all three routes (SH-7/NH-12/SH-6) to Morgram from Kolkata, my firm recommendation to anyone travelling along Kolkata - Siliguri route is the following:

Kolkata - Dankuni - SH13 - Mogra - SH6 - Nabadwip - SH8 - Krishnanagar - NH12 (use Sargachi bypass at Berhampore town) - Dalkhola - NH27 - Siliguri

Based on the ongoing work, I anticipate the above route will only get better in the next 12 months through opening of Karandighi bypass and Raiganj Bypass. By the end of 2023, hopefully widening of Kalyani Expressway and Barajaguli-Krishnanagar section of NH-12 will be completed. Then the recommendation would change once again .

Cheers,

Agreed. This may not be the best of routes, but the best available route for travelling to North Bengal from Kolkata.
The Karandighi and Raiganj bypass should reduce the travel time by another 30-45 minutes. The new bridge at Farakka should also reduce the travel time by 15-30 minutes and the new Baharampur bypass and the bridge by another 30 minutes.

@Sayak The Blue Beast (that's how I call it) really made the difficult journey look easy. Just reached home safely.

Here are some more notes from the return journey.

1. Just after the Islampur bypass ( on the Siliguri side) , one and a half lanes are blocked with tractors carrying potatoes, resulting in traffic jams. Vehicles crossing over to the wrong side are often causing traffic blockage and complete standstill on the other side. Here I decided to follow google and a local car and did not cross over unlike most other small cars. I was able to get through in 10 minutes.

2. The unofficial Baharampur bypass is a good one to take, but during the return journey faced little traffic jams. It was uneasy for wide vehicles like the Safari to pass through and really tests your driving skills.

3. Baharampur Krishnanagar section has a lot of unfinished bypasses and flyovers. Did not see much work progressing there.

4.The best and the fastest stretches -Fulbari road to end of Islampur bypass, Raiganj to Malda including the bypass, Farakka to start of Baharampur bypass, Kalna to Dankuni ( barring a few kilometers near Mogra).

5. The slowest and the not so good stretches with bumpers and barriers , chaotic traffic and/or diversions - Domohona to Raiganj including town traffic, Malda bypass to Farakka, Start of Baharampur bypass to Bethuadari, Krishnanagar to Kalna. With a little patience, all this is manageable.

6.Congratulations! The Dalkhola bypass is officially opened and the traffic cop is helping the vehicles to merge in/out of the bypass. The traffic jam to soon become history.

In the next couple of years hoping that the travel time during the day would come down to less than 10 hrs.

[sayakc]

Thanks to all of you for your updates over the past few days. I took the road to Cooch Behar and found that a lot of things have actually changed for the better since my last drive in Dec,2020.

The recommended route to Siliguri is (thanks Golam-da - added the bit which caused some confusion) :

Kolkata - Dankuni - SH13 - Mogra (take the left most flank thats rises) - SH6 - Nabadwip - SH8 - Krishnanagar - NH12 (use Sargachi bypass at Berhampore town) - Dalkhola - NH27 - Siliguri

Now, let me summarize our experience:
26-Mar-22 - Calcutta to Raiganj: 420 kms in 9.5 hrs
Calcutta - Start 1200 HRS - 4 lane roads till Mogra- then 2 lane roads till Krishnagar - 80%4 lane,20% 2 lane till Berhampore (1800 HRS) - entire 4 lane (except Farakka) Raiganj(overnight stay) - 2130 HRS

Change which I observed is - after leaving Berhampore (except Farakka), the entire road till Raiganj has been 4 laned, which is indeed great progress.

Raiganj to Cooch Behar 27-Mar-22 (310 kms in 6.5 hrs)
Left Raiganj - 0600 HRS - 60% 4 lane/40% 2lane till Dalkhola - faced a crazy truck jam at Dalkhola which held us for 45 mins (and this has been reported by fellow travellers - so keep a look out on Google and take the road for Nichitpur if you see Dalkhola is red)
Thereafter it was smooth progress all the way and we reached Cooch Behar around 1230 HRS. A journey of 310 kms completed in 6.5 hrs with a traffic jam and breakfast break.

Return - 31-Mar-22
Started from CoochBehar at 0500 HRS. Did not face any jam in Dalkhola, but there was heavy truck traffic which was being regulated. Reached Dankuni at 1930 HRS. A journey of 700 kms completed in 14.5 hrs which included breakfast, lunch and an office meeting (all inclusive 1.5 hrs. )
The last 30 kms took 2.5 hrs - thanks to crazy traffic.

Thats all gents!

Cheers,
Sayak

Originally Posted by black_panther

Agreed. This may not be the best of routes, but the best available route for travelling to North Bengal from Kolkata.

Originally Posted by arjab

75 years after independence we, north bengal lovers, seem to be on the threshold of gaining "freedom" from the dreaded traffic snarls of NH-12(nee NH-34)

Originally Posted by gmhossain

Sayak, now it's official! The dreaded traffic jam, leading to the so-called nightmare of Dalkhola along Kolkata - Siliguri route has finally come to an end.

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

Okay, so finally one flank of Dalkhola bypass will be operational officially.

[bong_voyager]

Hi folks, planning a short trip to darjeeling next week from kolkata. All my hill driving experience till now have been in the western ghats of coorg, kodaikanal and munnar. Can you pls help me with the easiest route from siliguri to darjeeling to navigate for a first timer in the himalayas?

[black_panther]

Completed one more North Bengal long weekend trip to the hills yesterday night, this time with a hired driver and night journeys on both ways.
Night driving has been faster and less stressful on this route as always and most of the factors remains the same as last month.
One point worth noting - While returning, we had hit Krishnanagar at midnight. This time we decided to take the badkulla - ranaghat route as suggested by google. We met with a huge traffic jam at ranaghat railway crossing due to some repair work. The traffic police proactively reached out to our vehicle and recommended us to take the ranaghat-jagpur-chakdah route to bypass the jam and bad roads. It was a relatively narrow stretch with excellent surface and no speed breakers and was absolutely desolate during midnight. Jaguli - Airport stretch was also empty as the entire traffic on the other side was held up at the birati more by the cops (not sure why).
The above route is only recommended at night for LMVs.

[arjab]

Originally Posted by bong_voyager

Hi folks, planning a short trip to darjeeling next week from kolkata. All my hill driving experience till now have been in the western ghats of coorg, kodaikanal and munnar. Can you pls help me with the easiest route from siliguri to darjeeling to navigate for a first timer in the himalayas?

Some of the things that may be worthwhile to keep in mind:

1) Darjeeling and North Indian hill driver's follow a hill driving etiquette. In Kodai, Munnar, Ooty circuit from what I have seen and driven, and I am sorry to say this, most drivers, particularly the Innova taxi's and other white cabs, have absolutely no inkling w.r.t. hill driving etiquette.

2) In West Bengal, remember the golden rule: UPHILL traffic always, always have right of way. You need not flash your headlights or do any such stuff like they do in south india hill tracts.
In WB when you are going downhill, and you see a vehicle coming uphill, please slow down and come to a complete halt, (that is if the road is very narrow to disallow two vehicles passing each other), so that the uphill car can pass smoothly.
A gentle nod, a smile, or a simple wave of hand is a nice acknowledgement!

3) Roads to Darjeeling are narrow and sometimes not in the best of shape. Suggest you take the ROHINI route as it will be easiest for you as a first time driver. Please exercise due caution on bends as there will always be some unpredictable jokers rushing around the curves!

4) Do not take Pankhabari route as you will not be comfortable with it particularly at the Kurseong end as it gets a bit congested.

5) Another route is the MIRIK route. It will be longer but passes through lovely tea gardens. It will take to up to Ghum, from where you will have to hang a left towards Darjeeling.

6) There is another route via Teesta Bazaar and Peshok which is also nice. But would not recommend that to you as it is challenging in some stretches and the Jorebungalow end gets terribly congested at times.

7) If your vehicle is a manual transmission model, and if you already do it then fine, otherwise do practice "handbrake-gear-clutch" coordination for smooth uphill starts as there may be multiple occasions when you have to resort to it. Also, remember not to unnecessarily slip the clutch and fry up the pressure plate, (assuming its a manual transmission car)

8) Kurseong bazaar area gets very crowded. Exercise caution.

9) Post Kurseong, in some places, the Hill Cart road narrows, and if there are large SUV's , Buses coming from opposite direction you may have to squeeze to one side to let the larger vehicle pass. Be careful of the toy train tracks on these sections. Do not run your tyres over them as the sleepers are old and sometimes the sleeper/fishplate fasteners poke out. May puncture your tyre if you graze them.

10) If you are using Google Maps, sometimes, after Jorebungalow, GMaps may show you a route via Jalapahar (i think GMaps show Tenzing Norgay road/Jayal Rd or something like that). Do not take that. Its narrow, steep and will be difficult for you as 1st timer. Follow Hill Cart road till Darjeeling.

11) Parking is a perennial problem in Darjeeling. If your accomodation has parking it is great, else you can park at public parking lots near RINK Mall. It's expensive though.

12) Couple of Indian oil fuel stations in and around Ghum monastery. One is an IndianOil COCO pump. It's good. The fuel station, (Goyal i think, can't remember exactly), at the junction of LadenLa-Lebong Cart Rd, (beside the police island in the centre of the road), is also good, but remains crowded throughout. All fuel stations accept all payment modes.

13) Maruti, Hyundai, Mahindra, Tata has basic vehicle repairing outlets in Darjeeling. For serious stuff you need to go to Siiguri.
Renault, VW, Skoda, Nissan, BMW, Merc do not have any satellite repair outlets in Darjeeling till now.

[NaXal]

This is to update the thread with recent road condition.

I have completed a North Bengal trip as recent as last week. NH34 (New Name NH12) is at it's best and getting even better as NHAI completes the remaining sections.

Route Taken from Kolkata to Jalpaiguri

Kolkata -> Barasat -> Chakdah -> Ranaghat -> Shantipur (bypass) -> Krishnanagar (high road, city bypass) -> Baharampur (via main NH34 city route) -> Dhuliyan -> Farakka (Barage Bridge) -> Kaliyachak -> Malda Bypass -> Raiganj -> Dalkhola Bypass -> Kishanganj -> Islampur bypass -> Ghoshpukur (Diversion for Bypassing Bagdogra Siliguri town -> Fullbari Bypass -> Fullbari -> Jalpaiguri

Started at 4:30AM from Kolkata. Since I was traveling with couple of Sr. Citizens, so stopped twice for longer food breaks and once for toilet. Total break time was around 3 hours. We reached Jalpaiguri at 7PM.

Took the exact same route for return.

On our return drive, break time was smaller. Stopped only once for food and second time for toilet. Started at 5AM from Jalpaiguri, reached Kolkata at around 5:30PM.

One major problem on this route is the lack of Food joints. Good & tasty options are all located in side the cities, near to their bus terminus. Bypass roads and new 2x2 highway sections are completely blank. There are few dhaba targeting truckers but they are too dusty (due to road construction work) and with 43/44c out side temps, its near impossible for elderly or families to eat at those places. Even if you consider entering these B/C towns for food, finding parking is impossible.

I don't know how to describe this wired feeling of mine. I am not a good writer, so I am unable to express it properly so do excuse me.

NH34 was such a challenging route.

Single narrow pothole filled route needing a lot of physical & mental effort to drive or ride. Constant gear changes and clutching. Majestic tree (those red and yellow flowers) cover from both side but their shadows hiding those out of no where type monstrous potholes. Killer traffic, where smaller cars and specially bikers would be invisible to the truckers and those "rocket" buses of the mighty NBSTC or CSTC. Top that up with 2/3 feet high road to pavement ridge lines. It was a route where forget about relaxing, you needed to have 110% concentration at all the time. It was a nightmare, a road and route straight from hell.

It was such a challenge to do Kolkata-Siliguri. Infact, when I drove & rode in some of the advertised & much talked about toughest routes of India, I felt so comfortable with my driving & riding experience of NH34.

Poof, it's gone.

I felt empty. Somehow I felt guilty. For my entire life, I cursed the govt, I shouted, I demanded and argued for betterment of this stretch. It was a dream to do Kolkata - Siliguri within 12 hours, safely and without any risk.

Now when it's almost ready and the reality is turning out to be better than that dream, deep inside, I am so sad. I don't want this heaven, I want that nightmare, hell of a route back.



Thanks.

[black_panther]

With the Kolkata Siliguri route becoming more and more easy to drive, our 1.5 decade old dream of driving to hills over the weekends/long weekends becoming realistic. Here are some of the decent food joints with usable washrooms and safe parking often along the 4 laned roads.
Starting from Kolkata on the SH13-SH6-NH12 route
1. Numerous AC restaurants between Baidyabati and Mogra on both sides of the highway.
2. Maa Kali hotel and restaurant (non AC, but open shaded seating area is available with parking inside premises, serves Biryani, kebabs, Chinese and bengali food) - located between Nabadwip and Krishnanagar.
3.Hotel Nilachal (non AC) just after hitting the 4 lane road after crossing Krishnanagar.
4. Pappu Ka Dabha (AC) - 4 lane section after crossing Behrampur - my personal favorite.
5. Behrampur - Malda section - I usually make up for the lost time in this stretch due to excellent roads and prefer not to stop. Other bhpians, please add.
6. Hotel Golden park, Pardesi dhaba Or similar after crossing Malda bypass. Also there is one resort before the start of Malda bypass.
7. Raiganj town - prefer not to stop here due to crowded city traffic.
8. Raiganj - Domohona section - non AC roadside running Dhabas (Shaktigarh types) with decent washrooms and food are available.
9. Hotel Rajdarbar after crossing Dalkhola bypass. I haven't tried this yet.
10. Lucknowyee restaurant (AC) or similar after crossing Islampur bypass.

Therefore one is never more than 2 hour away from a decent stopover at the moment. Hopefully more restaurants would come up in the next few months as more and more people start taking this route like Kolkata - Puri.

[NaXal]

Originally Posted by black_panther

4. Pappu Ka Dabha (AC) - 4 lane section after crossing Behrampur - my personal favorite.

This is where I actually gave my first break. But unfortunately the timing to reach this place from Kolkata was odd, since I started early morning, it was well passed breakfast time.

6. Hotel Golden park, Pardesi dhaba Or similar after crossing Malda bypass. Also there is one resort before the start of Malda bypass.

Roads after Pappu Dhaba are fantastic and all these options came way too soon for second break. On top, not all installations are within your travel side of the highway, so one may need to take a longer U Turn to reach the targeted location.

Matter of fact, that is exactly what I needed to do with Pardesi Dhaba. It was my single stop while on return drive.

Hopefully more restaurants would come up in the next few months

There is one more, that good old Ghar Dhaba at Dalkhola BP CoCo Pump.



Ghar Dhaba at Dalkhola BP CoCo pump was my second food stop for the journey. Unfortunately only tea was available with Cold Drink. Their cook was taking a nap or such break so no food.

Krisnanagar / Bethuadahari felt the perfect location for breakfast, if someone like me starting early morning. That would allow lunch break at either Pappu Dhaba or at Pardesi Hotel where as tea / toilet break can happen at Dalkhola BP CoCo Pump Ghar Dhaba.

Unfortunately could not find anything at around Krisnanagar / Bethuadahari

Originally Posted by bong_voyager

Can you pls help me with the easiest route from siliguri to darjeeling to navigate for a first timer in the himalayas?

Wait for the exp members to reply, below is my personal view,

There are basically three routes to Darjeeling.

1. Via Mirik (Siliguri -> Mirik -> Nepal Border Pasupati Market -> Simana -> Ghum -> Darjeeling)




2. Via Kerseong (Avoid Pankhabari at all cost, Use the Rohini)
3. Via Sevoke

I got to drive all three this time (last week). At present, I felt the Mirik / Nepal Border route is the best with most scenic beauty and easier for new drivers. One down side is the heavy fog / cloud at certain sections. Be careful with that.

Thanks.

[gmhossain]

Originally Posted by NaXal

Krisnanagar / Bethuadahari felt the perfect location for breakfast, if someone like me starting early morning ... Unfortunately could not find anything at around Krisnanagar / Bethuadahari

The best highway eatery at Krishnanagar now is Mothers Hut. It is a sprawling one, has its own parking and it is just beside the NH-12. It has both AC/Non-AC sections. The toilets are family friendly and clean. This is relatively new one and I would say it's among the best highway dhabas in the entire Kolkata - Siliguri route. Interestingly, it is fully run by the mothers (yep, you read it right!) For last 3 years, this has been one of our mandatory pit-stops.

Cheers,

[black_panther]

Originally Posted by NaXal

This is where I actually gave my first break. But unfortunately the timing to reach this place from Kolkata was odd, since I started early morning, it was well passed breakfast time.



Roads after Pappu Dhaba are fantastic and all these options came way too soon for second break. On top, not all installations are within your travel side of the highway, so one may need to take a longer U Turn to reach the targeted location.

Matter of fact, that is exactly what I needed to do with Pardesi Dhaba. It was my single stop while on return drive.



There is one more, that good old Ghar Dhaba at Dalkhola BP CoCo Pump.

Attachment 2301538

Ghar Dhaba at Dalkhola BP CoCo pump was my second food stop for the journey. Unfortunately only tea was available with Cold Drink. Their cook was taking a nap or such break so no food.

Krisnanagar / Bethuadahari felt the perfect location for breakfast, if someone like me starting early morning. That would allow lunch break at either Pappu Dhaba or at Pardesi Hotel where as tea / toilet break can happen at Dalkhola BP CoCo Pump Ghar Dhaba.

Unfortunately could not find anything at around Krisnanagar / Bethuadahari


Thanks.

Starting at 4:30 am from Kolkata, our experience was also similar. Stopped for a washroom break at hotel nilachal, then reached Pappu Dhaba between 9:30 and 10 am for a breakfast. Agreed that breakfast at 9 am would have been ideal.

People often drive on the wrong side in the entire stretch, therefore reaching out to these food joints on the other side is not difficult at the moment. Personally I am against wrong side driving and prefer long u turns instead. But even the gatekeeper at the Golden park advised me to drive on the wrong side.

BPCL Dalkhola and Moregram once used to be our pitstops once. But our recent experience there was similar to yours, therefore gave it a miss.

[black_panther]

Yesterday came across one YouTube video that indicated that small cars are taking the Raiganj bypass and resorting to some offroading to cross the unfinished ROB. Any ideas on how they cross the railway lines?

[rahul4640]

Originally Posted by NaXal

There are basically three routes to Darjeeling.

1. Via Mirik (Siliguri -> Mirik -> Nepal Border Pasupati Market -> Simana -> Ghum -> Darjeeling)
2. Via Kerseong (Avoid Pankhabari at all cost, Use the Rohini)

Is the original Hill Cart Road, which goes via Sukna & Tindharia closed at present? IMO it is less steeper than the Rohini Road and you need not pay thirty rupees as toll.

Originally Posted by NaXal

3. Via Sevoke

Are you suggesting to go via Teesta Bazar and Peshok? It is again a steep road, at least for the first few KMs, not recommended for first timers.

[NaXal]

Hello,

Originally Posted by rahul4640

Is the original Hill Cart Road, which goes via Sukna & Tindharia closed at present?

Twice I faced diversion due to some road construction work in a span of 4 days. As per the locals, it was supposed to be temporary.

Originally Posted by rahul4640

Are you suggesting to go via Teesta Bazar

My suggestion,

Originally Posted by ME

1. Via Mirik (Siliguri -> Mirik -> Nepal Border Pasupati Market -> Simana -> Ghum -> Darjeeling)..

..At present, I felt the Mirik / Nepal Border route is the best with most scenic beauty and easier for new drivers. One down side is the heavy fog / cloud at certain sections. Be careful with that.

Lastly, hills are very unpredictable. One can meticulously plan a route, only to get diverted due to a last minute road closer. Hills are to be climbed so gradients are inevitable.

I am no expert, I always prefer learning & taking inputs. But personally, I think one should not plan for "a" route, rather, for hills, one should always plan to learn, if there is any "route/section" to avoid.

Thanks.

[gmhossain]

Originally Posted by black_panther

9. Hotel Rajdarbar after crossing Dalkhola bypass. I haven't tried this yet.

While returning from the hills on May 25 we stopped briefly here to use the washroom and potentially to have breakfast. However, we left Rajdarbar without having anything from there, not recommended. We also tried Pardeshi Dhaba at Malda for the first time. The food was good with family-friendly, clean washroom. I am adding Pardeshi Dhaba in my green list.

This time we drove (I guess, first time after 2015) via Dalkhola (bypass) for both onward and return journey. Apart from some local chaos caused by the corn-loaded tractor trolleys, it was smooth.

Overall, Kolkata - Siliguri route has now become a predictable route with around 12 hours drive time (during daytime, night drive will be faster). I guess, my primary concern now is to compile a list of recommended Dhaba/eateries with family-friendly washrooms, spread across this route . So I request others to pitch in with your recommendations.

Cheers,

[black_panther]

Originally Posted by gmhossain

This time we drove (I guess, first time after 2015) via Dalkhola (bypass) for both onward and return journey. Apart from some local chaos caused by the corn-loaded tractor trolleys, it was smooth.

Any updates on the raiganj bypass, karandighi bypass and the raiganj - dalkhola section in general?

I understand that the new bridge on the Nagor river is operational now.