I have spent few years of my life in Asansol. NSCBI Kolkata Airport is the nearest one to Asansol, so to catch a flight I often travel between Asansol and Kolkata. The distance between Asansol to Kolkata airport is about 210 kilometres which take 3.5 to 6 hours of travelling time, depending on the mode of transport. Read this article to know about the best way to go from Asansol to Kolkata Airport.
Asansol to Kolkata airport by Train
Though the trains are always the most comfortable mode of transport from Asansol to Kolkata, however, the accessibility between train terminals in Kolkata and the airport is an issue. There were instances when my friends got stuck in traffic jams for more than 4 hours while travelling between Howrah railway station and Airport, for a distance of just 30 kilometres.
How to go by train from Asansol
There are many trains from Asansol to Kolkata. Enter the destination station as Howrah, Sealdah or Kolkata Chitpur railway stations. All the 3 stations are main train terminals in Kolkata. Book ticket online from ‘www.irctc.co.in’, which is a government website.
The frequency of trains between Asansol and Kolkata is quite high. You can still try a combination of trains from Bardhhaman (Station code – BWN) to get some more options. Many local trains from Asansol terminate at Bardhhaman junction. Thereafter, catch any local or express train to Kolkata (Howrah/Sealdah/Dakshinshwar/Kolkata chitpur) which are available every 15-20 minutes.
Tip : Try these options if you have a morning flight from Kolkata -
- Take 53050 Mokameh-Howrah Fast Passenger. (Travel overnight and save money)
- Departure from Asansol – 20:50, Arrival at Howrah – 03:00
- Advance online booking is possible
- Total Fare (including Reservation charges) : Non-AC Sleeper – Rs. 110
- Total Fare (including Reservation charges) : Seating – Rs. 60
- Take 53132 Muzaffarpur-Sealdah Passenger. (Terminates at the nearest station to airport, Travel overnight)
- Departure from Asansol – 21:30, Arrival at Dum Dum junction – 02:40
- All unreserved coaches, No reservation possible.
- But in non-peak season you can get an upper berth to sleep
- Total Fare : Seating – Rs 45
- Take 13106 Ballia-Sealdah express (Travel overnight)
- Departure from Asansol – 22:25, Arrival at Sealdah – 03:35
- Advance online booking is possible
- Have AC and Non-AC coaches
- Take 13022 Mithila express (Travel overnight)
- Departure from Asansol – 23:44, Arrival at Howrah – 04:00
- Advance online booking is possible
- Have AC and Non-AC coaches
Book Uber or Ola or similar app based cab service to reach Kolkata airport from these stations. Early morning it hardly takes 30 minutes from Howrah to the airport. Usually Ola or uber cabs charge between Rs. 280-330 from Howrah railway station to Kolkata Airport.
Asansol to Kolkata airport by road
shaktigarh langcha shops
Travelling by road is another option to reach Kolkata airport from Asansol. SBSTC (Bengal state government) operates frequent bus service. These are ordinary buses. Apart from this, there are private operators offering regular Volvo buses like WBTC, Shyamoli, Greenline, and Royal cruiser. Of these WBTC is government bus service and offers the cheapest fare from Asansol to Kolkata airport – i.e. Rs 345. The third option is to travel by taxi. There are people who use ride share applications like ‘Bla Bla car’. Travelling with somebody going in the same direction and sharing his fuel expenses can be another good option.
Volvo buses
Volvo and similar luxury buses leave from the ‘Volvo bus stand’ (located at Chelidanga) in Asansol. They take around 4.5 hours to reach Esplanade in Kolkata. Until September 2017, the fare of these bus service was Rs 450 per person. These buses are Air-conditioned and comfortable. Passengers are offered a small bottle of mineral water and biscuits after boarding. They also play movies during the journey.
These buses terminate at Esplanade. From there either catch an airport bus or taxi. However, travelling to Esplanade and then going to the airport consumes a lot of time. Here is a time saver tip.
TIP : Get down at Dankuni and take a taxi to airport. They charge Rs 200-250. Booking Uber or Ola cab can further help in saving money.
Dankuni and the Airport are located at the North-West and North-East corners of Kolkata respectively. Whereas, Esplanade is in the centre of the city. Check this map.
How to book a Volvo bus
The best way to book a Volvo bus from Asansol to Kolkata is online booking. Many travel apps like redbus, yatra, goibibo, paytm, etc. can be used for online bus tickets.
Cheapest way to reach Kolkata airport : SBSTC bus to Karunamoyee :
SBSTC Bus Ticket
Here is my recent experience. My flight from Kolkata was at 9:30 pm. Because the trains and Volvo buses drop very far from the airport, I wanted to avoid them. This time, I took a SBSTC (South Bengal state transport corporation) bus from Asansol Bus stand (located here). The bus left the terminal at 3:10 pm. It stopped at Durgapur city bus terminal at 4:05 pm and Shaktigarh at 5 pm for 10-15 minutes break. It dropped me at 7:40 pm at a bus stand, popularly called ‘Ek number Gate’ (Gate number One). From this point, I walked straight for 50 meters to reach a flyover intersection. Turn left from here and you can see the airport. It took 10 minutes to walk from ‘Gate no. 1’ bus stand to the Departure terminal of the airport. I still had approx. 2 hours of time left for the flight.
The SBSTC bus to Karunanoyee is the cheapest and fastest public transport from Asansol to Kolkata airport. It takes 4.5 hours and charges are Rs. 155 (Sept. 2017). Online booking of SBSTC buses can be done from ‘online.sbstcbooking.co.in‘. These are non-AC buses but comfortable.
Note : Like the Volvo buses most of the SBSTC buses go to Esplanade bus terminal. So, please ensure before booking that your bus goes Karunamoyee. Though the buses going to Esplanade are more frequent than the ones, which are destined to Karunamoyee. You can get down at Dankuni and take a taxi for the airport.
Volvo bus to Kolkata airport
As I have mentioned earlier, WBTC (West Bengal Transport Corporation) operates a direct Volvo bus service between Asansol to Kolkata airport. In September 2017 they had 3 trips between Asansol to Kolkata airport (Karunamoyee). Bus timings were 6:15 am, 2:45 pm & 3:45 pm from Chelidanga Volvo bus stand.
Asansol to Kolkata Airport by taxi
Going by own car or a taxi takes the least time to reach Airport. I’ve travelled to the airport in my own car and it took 3.5 hours. Getting a taxi from Asansol is not tough. Approach any private travel agency. They charge Rs 4,000 to drop at the Airport.