[Just Cars]

A little update post my recent trip:
1. Allahabad-Varanasi toll is operational now and they charge Rs. 150/- one way
2. Roads are at their treacherous best in Bengal.
3. Numerous small and super small bridges can unsettle you in case you are unmindful of the approach and departure. On one occasion we were air-bound for almost 2 seconds
4. All 3 Toll collecting points let us pass through without collecting toll both ways. Maybe a Puja Gift.
5. Enjoyed some fresh Ganne ka ras in BH/ JH. Awesome.
6. On my way back after driving continuously for almost 18 hours, I almost hit a Nilgai on the Yamuna Expressway, it was around 2.30 am.

[Vipin Kumar]

How is the Delhi road, I mean from Burdwan to Dankuni, if one leaves the Durgapur Express way? In my plan to drive, I have been thinking of taking the now-unconventional Delhi road there, from Burdwan, and enter Kolkata via the Howrah bridge... I heard lot of trucks take this route.

And what about the crowded old GT road? Is it just a two-lane one? How much will be the crowd like, I mean the traffic density?

If anyone can advice a person who wants to take one of the older options in this area... Vipin.

[Samba]

Originally Posted by Vipin Kumar

How is the Delhi road, I mean from Burdwan to Dankuni, if one leaves the Durgapur Express way? In my plan to drive, I have been thinking of taking the now-unconventional Delhi road there, from Burdwan, and enter Kolkata via the Howrah bridge... I heard lot of trucks take this route.

And what about the crowded old GT road? Is it just a two-lane one? How much will be the crowd like, I mean the traffic density?

If anyone can advice a person who wants to take one of the older options in this area... Vipin.

The route is longer.
Its not a one way road.
Traffic is okay. Its on the lesser side.
Road condition is rough in few places but good in many places. Be prepared for sudden pot holes.
2-3 level crossings.
You will cross few small localities.
Be careful to take the left before Durgapur expressway. Or else you will be on the toll booth of Durgapur expressway. Old Delhi roads diversion is a bit narrow from the wide GQ. Its easy to miss.
It will take you around 2 to 2.5 hours, from Burdwan to Howrah via old Delhi road.

For taking Howrah bridge you have to come down to Bally/Bally khal then take old GT road via Bally- Belur- Liluah- Howrah to take old Howrah bridge. If you don't come down to Bally you will either land up over the old Bally bridge or the new tolled Nivedita setu. So be careful for small diversions once you cross Dankuni.

From Burdwan to take old Delhi road stick to left, from Dankuni to go till Bally again stick to left. Before Bally bridge just ask any locals for the way to Howrah bridge via old GT road or set your GPS that way.

EDIT- If you want to take old GT road from the beginning you have to enter it from Mogra leaving the old Delhi road.
Then you will go through Hooghly- Bandel- Chinchura- Chandannagar- Mankundu- Saorapuli/Baidyabati- Srirampur- Rishra- Konnagar- Hindmotor- Uttarpara- Bally - Bellur- Liluah- Howrah.

By this route road is good.
Around two level crossings.
Its not one way. Rather local shops and crowd made this narrow road narrower.
Truck traffic is less but you get many unruly bikers, auto's rikshaw, electric rikshaw (tuk tuk), small cars and local buses. It will be a more slower route. In short you will get heavy small town traffics.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Vipin Kumar

How is the Delhi road, I mean from Burdwan to Dankuni, if one leaves the Durgapur Express way? In my plan to drive, I have been thinking of taking the now-unconventional Delhi road there, from Burdwan, and enter Kolkata via the Howrah bridge... I heard lot of trucks take this route.

And what about the crowded old GT road? Is it just a two-lane one? How much will be the crowd like, I mean the traffic density?

The old NH2 aka the GT Road still exists, and overflowing with a teeming population, markets, local slow moving traffic, and is poorly maintained.

The link (https://goo.gl/maps/nYdBb) marks the old GT Road from Belur Math to Burdwan. You can compare this with the present alignment of the NH2/AH1.

[Vipin Kumar]

Originally Posted by Samba

The route is longer.

EDIT- If you want to take old GT road from the beginning you have to enter it from Mogra leaving the old Delhi road.
Then you will go through Hooghly- Bandel- Chinchura- Chandannagar- Mankundu- Saorapuli/Baidyabati- Srirampur- Rishra- Konnagar- Hindmotor- Uttarpara- Bally - Bellur- Liluah- Howrah.

By this route road is good.
Around two level crossings.
Its not one way. Rather local shops and crowd made this narrow road narrower.
Truck traffic is less but you get many unruly bikers, auto's rikshaw, electric rikshaw (tuk tuk), small cars and local buses. It will be a more slower route. In short you will get heavy small town traffics.

That is typically along the Main Line railway to Howrah. Thanks a lot. From your note, I make out that the road meanders through all these suburbs and will have to negotiate the densely populated places. It runs on the left of the railway line mostly, I suppose. I have been to these places earlier, but thought of driving this way, for seeing again life in the dense areas rather than driving through empty land... I will be driving all the way from Varanasi that day, and I am sure it will make it difficult. Is the Delhi road a better option in this regard?

Vipin.

[Samba]

Originally Posted by Vipin Kumar

It runs on the left of the railway line mostly, I suppose. I will be driving all the way from Varanasi that day, and I am sure it will make it difficult. Is the Delhi road a better option in this regard?

Vipin.

Old GT road runs in between the Hooghly river and the railway tracks.

The feel which you want to get from the drive through the towns /old GT road, you wont get that feel on the Delhi road. I will say stick to Durgapur expressway for this drive. From Kolkata you can go for this drive any other day and explore the places! If you have time you can park some where along the Gt road and enjoy the nice breeze of the river too! Plus you can visit few places like Imambara in Chinchura , Bandel church and few others.

Plus you can read predatorwheelz travelogue for a much better details, when you want to visit these places.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...tle-known.html

I stay at Uttarpara which is very near to Bally and is on old GT road,so if you want you can always PM me for a small meet if time permits for both of us.

[1100D]

Originally Posted by Vipin Kumar

How is the Delhi road, I mean from Burdwan to Dankuni, if one leaves the Durgapur Express way? In my plan to drive, I have been thinking of taking the now-unconventional Delhi road there, from Burdwan, and enter Kolkata via the Howrah bridge... I heard lot of trucks take this route.

And what about the crowded old GT road? Is it just a two-lane one? How much will be the crowd like, I mean the traffic density?

If anyone can advice a person who wants to take one of the older options in this area... Vipin.

Hi Vipin, is it just Nostalgia or something that you wish to enter Kolkata through the old route and through GT Road and Howrah Bridge?

I myself live off the GT Road and apart from the absolute mayhem due to overflow of pedestrians, slow moving vehicles, you will have to deal with the one way system prevalent in Howrah. Coming from Bally Side towards Howrah Bridge, you will have to take a parallel road to the GT Road. Throughout that stretch, you will have to crawl or be static behind Busses and trucks.

[Vipin Kumar]

Originally Posted by 1100D

Hi Vipin, is it just Nostalgia or something that you wish to enter Kolkata through the old route and through GT Road and Howrah Bridge?

I myself live off the GT Road and apart from the absolute mayhem due to overflow of pedestrians, slow moving vehicles, you will have to deal with the one way system prevalent in Howrah. Coming from Bally Side towards Howrah Bridge, you will have to take a parallel road to the GT Road. Throughout that stretch, you will have to crawl or be static behind Busses and trucks.

From your post, I learn that after a very long drive from Benaras, it would be wise for me to take the Durgapur Express way itself. But I will somehow prefer to take the Howrah bridge. Is it that un-negotiable traffic that I will face in that parallel road to GT road, approaching Howrah Bridge? How many kilometres will it be? I should be reaching that side by 8 pm/9pm.

And of course, Howrah Bridge has its own name and appearance, for us from outside. In some of my long journeys elsewhere too, I have preferred to take the town-routes in some places that remind me the older highway patterns. It also helps me to see small places and the small places for tea, snacks and meals...

Vipin.

Originally Posted by Samba

Old GT road runs in between the Hooghly river and the railway tracks.

The feel which you want to get from the drive through the towns /old GT road, you wont get that feel on the Delhi road. I will say stick to Durgapur expressway for this drive. From Kolkata you can go for this drive any other day and explore the places! If you have time you can park some where along the Gt road and enjoy the nice breeze of the river too! Plus you can visit few places like Imambara in Chinchura , Bandel church and few others.

Plus you can read predatorwheelz travelogue for a much better details, when you want to visit these places.

I stay at Uttarpara which is very near to Bally and is on old GT road,so if you want you can always PM me for a small meet if time permits for both of us.

Thanks Samba. I am trying to see if I have a spare day to see these places. I have only travelled "through" these areas earlier. In January, I should be coming to Calcutta twice, once next week. But that is by train.

And will send you PM regarding the time I come by car, later this month.

And anyone regular on this route, can you tell me any new place to stay after Allahabad, around Benaras, somewhere closer to NH 2/bypass? Otherwise my idea has been to take the whole long way to Sarnath, taking the highway NH 2 from Allahabad side towards Benaras, and stay there overnight.

Vipin.

[1100D]

Originally Posted by Vipin Kumar

From your post, I learn that after a very long drive from Benaras, it would be wise for me to take the Durgapur Express way itself. But I will somehow prefer to take the Howrah bridge. Is it that un-negotiable traffic that I will face in that parallel road to GT road, approaching Howrah Bridge? How many kilometres will it be? I should be reaching that side by 8 pm/9pm.

And of course, Howrah Bridge has its own name and appearance, for us from outside. In some of my long journeys elsewhere too, I have preferred to take the town-routes in some places that remind me the older highway patterns. It also helps me to see small places and the small places for tea, snacks and meals...

Vipin.

Sir, if its after 8pm then its more of a Hell, when the trucks are let loose all over that area. Infact, if you are looking an old world kind of highway, there exists not even a Highway after Bally towards Howrah bridge. All you will get in the name of GT road is a narrow road with unhindered, uncontrolled real estate (some very old). If you are planning to stay in Kolkata for a few days, you can do a loop drive, i.e enter Howrah (from Kolkata) by Howrah Bridge, take the GT road towards Bally and re-enter Kolkata through the Old Vivekananda setu, in the process you can cover Belur Math, Dakshineshwar also. You will thank me for asking you not to take the GT road and Howrah Bridge on your way from Banaras. I myself live a few KM's south of Howrah Bridge and we avoid using GT Road. Its also good for the external panels of your vehicle.

[rahul4640]

Originally Posted by Samba

The route is longer.
Its not a one way road.
Traffic is okay. Its on the lesser side.
Road condition is rough in few places but good in many places. Be prepared for sudden pot holes.
2-3 level crossings.
You will cross few small localities.
Be careful to take the left before Durgapur expressway. Or else you will be on the toll booth of Durgapur expressway. Old Delhi roads diversion is a bit narrow from the wide GQ. Its easy to miss.
It will take you around 2 to 2.5 hours, from Burdwan to Howrah via old Delhi road.

I took this "Old Delhi Road" today. Though I only went up to Baidyabati town, I could see that road widening word has started on this road. But this work has made the road even narrower than before. Both sides of the road has been dug out. The road surface is not very good either. With heavy truck traffic on this road, cautious driving is required, specially after darkness sets in.

[Vipin Kumar]

Originally Posted by rahul4640

I took this "Old Delhi Road" today. Though I only went up to Baidyabati town, I could see that road widening word has started on this road. But this work has made the road even narrower than before. Both sides of the road has been dug out. The road surface is not very good either. With heavy truck traffic on this road, cautious driving is required, specially after darkness sets in.

That is good information. I would not venture into it then, for I don't think it will be possible for me to reach Burdwan before 6 in the evening.

Vipin.

[Jose.solorider]

Hi,
To all the Marvel's. I am planning to do the same Delhi to howrah (kolkata) probably by end of April.
Catch is I would take my royal enfield 350cc.
Just wanted to know how long would it take on a motorcycle, Considering I can never go beyond triple digits on my royal Enfield.
Any other tips and route update?
I plan to leave by 10pm and taking yamuna expressway.
Need some expert guidance of do's and don't.
Thanks
Arnab

Originally Posted by Jose.solorider

Just wanted to know how long would it take on a motorcycle, Considering I can never go beyond triple digits on my royal Enfield.

I rode on my Thunderbird 500 from Kolkata to Delhi recently.









The details start from here.

Any other tips and route update?

I crossed Varanasi bypass by midnight. All the four lanes of the higway on both the ways were occupied by trucks! Not only that; they occupied the service roads on both the sides too. I rode zig-zag in between the trucks in the available gaps. I rode on the embankments and some off-roading too and on the wrong side for km together. I cannot forget that riding amidst traffic jam by midnight!

[Jose.solorider]

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

I rode on my Thunderbird 500 from Kolkata to Delhi recently.

Sir,
Hats off, I read your entire Golden Triangle travelogue, I wish I was following you then, so that I could also catch up at chandni chowk.

These auxiliary lights are brilliant I have been using the same on mine classic 350.

I would be taking a halt after every 200km for 15 mins.

Hope that is enough.


Thanks
Arnab

Originally Posted by Jose.solorider

I would be taking a halt after every 200km for 15 mins.

Plus some power-naps of minimum half hour in the petrol pump after refuelling in the small hours of the day will keep you afresh for a coupla hours. Thanks for the appreciation, Jose.solorider.