ASANSOL: Great news for passengers of the Dhanbad-Howrah Black Diamond Express. From the first day of the New Year, i.e., January 1st, it will be reclassified from a superfast to an express train. This will lower the fare and change the train number, though its timings will remain unchanged. Operating on this route for 62 years, the train ran between Asansol and Howrah in 1964 and was then known as the Howrah-Asansol Fast Passenger. Later that year, it was extended to Dhanbad and named Dhanbad Express. In 1970, this train connecting the coal mining region of Dhanbad-Asansol to Howrah was named the Black Diamond Express. According to the railway notification, from January 1st, the train will be an express instead of a superfast, and its new number will be 13387/13388.
However, this decision raises some questions that need answers from the railway administration. Why is the Black Diamond suddenly being made non-superfast and its fare reduced? Concerns remain whether halts or travel time might be increased later, which would cause trouble for daily commuters. Notably, the current second-seating coach fare between Asansol and Howrah is Rs 120 and the AC chair car fare is Rs 415. From January 1st, these fares will drop to Rs 105 and Rs 370 respectively.
