[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by amartya_bhp

...any update on the road from ARARIA to SILIGURI? I have heard that the direct road via BAHADURGANJ and THAKURGANJ is a nightmare for any vehicle and the recommendation is going via PURNEA (NH-27) and KISHANGANJ. This is slightly longer but the road conditions are way better. Do you have any idea or pointers? Thanks!

Been on that road in 2018, when it was newly renamed to NH327. Undivided, some excellent tarmac, but some terrible stretches (which ruined the front suspension), and as Abhi mentioned, 2 broken bridges (I almost drove off one in the dark). I believe one of the bridges was rebuilt, and broke again!

The road via Purnea was much much better. The last time I'd been that way was in 2019.

If you want an absolutely current update, ping Moderator Sheel - he lives in Purnea.

[amartya_bhp]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

If you want an absolutely current update, ping Moderator Sheel - he lives in Purnea.

Thanks, SS-DA. I have PM'ed Sheel just now, will wait for his feedback!

[saket77]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

The road via Purnea was much much better. The last time I'd been that way was in 2019.

If you want an absolutely current update, ping Moderator Sheel - he lives in Purnea.

Originally Posted by amartya_bhp

Thanks, SS-DA. I have PM'ed Sheel just now, will wait for his feedback!

The route through Purnea was absolute bliss when I visited last in Jan-2023 while on trip to Shillong. Should be great now too.

[ABHI_1512]

Originally Posted by saket77

The route through Purnea was absolute bliss when I visited last in Jan-2023 while on trip to Shillong. Should be great now too.

Off topic for this thread but still sharing here:

18 months is a long time on Indian highways. Sharing some pictures of the said road, I could have shared more had I clicked enough. These pictures are clicked two weeks back and these have deteriorated further is what I have heard. Obviously Sheel would know even better.













As one can see in the pictures, big craters have formed at many places. Some potholes are nasty enough to disturb the balance of the vehicle even and they are spread throughout. In fact, loaded trucks have started to take the opposite lane due to some stretches being very bad enough. Stretches near Dhantola, Bidhannagar etc would need extreme caution. It was not this bad even few months back but then this stretch has always been like that with patchy repairs every now and then.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

18 months is a long time on Indian highways.

Wow... This is beginning to look like the NH2 of the 1990s through Bihar! (There was no Jharkhand then).

As a truck driver once told me in Punjabi: There are potholes on that road that a 4-year-old kid can't climb out of.

[amartya_bhp]

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

18 months is a long time on Indian highways. Sharing some pictures of the said road, I could have shared more had I clicked enough. These pictures are clicked two weeks back and these have deteriorated further is what I have heard.

This is really frightening, not sure which route to take now!

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

If you want an absolutely current update, ping Moderator Sheel - he lives in Purnea.

Originally Posted by amartya_bhp

Thanks, SS-DA. I have PM'ed Sheel just now, will wait for his feedback!

Originally Posted by saket77

The route through Purnea was absolute bliss when I visited last in Jan-2023 while on trip to Shillong. Should be great now too.

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

Off topic for this thread but still sharing here:

18 months is a long time on Indian highways. Sharing some pictures of the said road, I could have shared more had I clicked enough. These pictures are clicked two weeks back and these have deteriorated further is what I have heard. Obviously Sheel would know even better. .

Please quote me, a PM will help one guy, a public post to many others.

I think, I go to Siliguri at-least twice a month. The picture shared by ABHI is right, but, it's like that and has always been a phenomenon from June / July till around December. Winters to summers, roads are okay, monsoons to winters, roads go bad.

From Dalkola to Islampur and from Islampur to Dalkola, roads are not in perfect condition with variety of bad patches, different circumferences of potholes with difference in depth is there. The speed breaks at Kishangunj are very badly designed too and I always drive a SUV over these, till yesterday.

But despite 4 people in a hatch, the car did not scrape anywhere (taking breakers at an angle and not hurrying helped). I might just check out the Araria route by end of this month and can provide an update, but since I am a regular on this route (Purnia - Dalkola - Islampur - Siliguri) I prefer this.

Post Islampur, it's not exactly rosy, but it's okay save for one diversion where the road ceases to exist completely. Maneuvering cautiously and keeping your cool and being patient will help.

Bad roads are a given in this part, due to incessant rains, you (most of you) might be doing it say 3 or 4 times a year, I do it (sometimes, every week) so, maybe, I have adjusted and accepted the surface and it's imperfections .

[pushpender_s]

Originally Posted by amartya_bhp

Guys, planning a trip to Darjeeling during the Durga Puja from Delhi, any takers? I plan to stop at Lucknow, Patna and then onwards to Darjeeling. While returning, I will stay at Kolkata for some days, and would love to meet the bhp gang there!! Any pointers as to any alternate routes? Thanks to all!

Hi
I traveled to Shillong last month. From Araria to Siliguri I took the Bahadurganj route instead of Purnea. The Bihar section is a newly made 4-lane concrete road with couple of diversions.
Once you enter WB, it is a 2-lane section till Siliguri via Bagdogra with occasional potholes.
As informed by others, the Purnea section is in bad shape so better to take Bahadurganj route.

[amartya_bhp]

Originally Posted by pushpender_s

Hi
I traveled to Shillong last month. From Araria to Siliguri I took the Bahadurganj route instead of Purnea.

Hi,

Thanks for the message - did you follow the Bahadurganj - Thakurganj Route or Bahadurganj - Naxalbari Route? Thanks!

Kudos to you for driving all the way to Shillong, I am sure it must have been an experience. Highly appropriate for a travelogue :

[pushpender_s]

Originally Posted by amartya_bhp

Hi,

Thanks for the message - did you follow the Bahadurganj - Thakurganj Route or Bahadurganj - Naxalbari Route? Thanks!


Kudos to you for driving all the way to Shillong, I am sure it must have been an experience. Highly appropriate for a travelogue :

I took the Thakurganj route and not the Naxalbari one.
Travelogue in in WIP currently, will post in some time.
Thanks.