Ranit Kr. Singh , Kolkata – The historic Siliguri Town Station, established in 1879 alongside the iconic Darjeeling Himalayan Railway toy train, is undergoing a massive ₹3 crore heritage renovation by the Northeast Frontier Railway. The extensive project will completely reconstruct the station's landmark tin shed, refurbish its massive upper-floor walls to house a dedicated museum, and install security fencing to curb unauthorized entry. Decades ago, this vital transit hub served as the primary gateway where passengers descending from the hills transitioned to Kolkata-bound trains.

This legendary station holds profound connections to iconic global personalities, having hosted Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, revolutionary Baghajatin, and acclaimed American author Mark Twain. In occupied India, anti-colonial revolutionaries strategically utilized the station's bustling surroundings to hide and monitor British troop movements. Local residents have expressed immense joy over the grand revival of this virtually dormant site, which had recently suffered from neglect and illicit activities.

Northeast Frontier Railway CPRO Kapinjal Kishore Sharma stated that work has commenced under ministry instructions, teasing several future plans. State Minister Anandamoy Barman noted that the ministry wisely understood the public's deep emotional attachment to this historic landmark. Highlighting its legacy, writer Gourishankar Bhattacharya remarked that the station possesses immense glory and tradition, while author Debashis Chakraborty added that clearing out the current miscreants to preserve this heritage would be the best possible outcome.