Rail Museum, Howrah | Timings, Entry Fee, How to Reach

Rail Museum, Howrah Overview

The Rail Museum is located in Howrah, Kolkata. It is considered as the second rail museum to be constructed after National Rail Museum, Delhi. The museum has evolved into a famous tourist destination in Kolkata. There is a vivid collection of preserved old and rare steam engines, electric locomotives, tracks and signals. These are a perfect medium to showcase the evolution of the railways in India. Tourists visit here to explore the history of Indian Railways as well as to enjoy their time with family and friends.

The Howrah Rail Museum is located very close to Howrah railway station. The museum is the second one ever to be constructed after the National Rail Museum, Delhi. It consists of handmade replicas of various trains, locomotives and engines. The museum also consists of preserved old and rare steam engines, electric locomotives, tracks and signals. There is a miniature of Howrah Railway Station inside the museum. People also visit here to ride on the famous toy train which is located near the museum. The museum provides an enriching as well as an informative experience to its visitors and hence has developed as a famous tourist destination. The museum has a notable contribution to the development of the tourism industry in Kolkata.

History of the Rail Museum

The Rail Museum is an open-air establishment that was set up in 2006 and is a window into the past to know more about the locomotives built over 100 years ago. The Hall of fame inside the museum gives insights into the history, the engineering and the evolution right from steam engines to diesel to electric railways. The heritage museum has models as well as actual decommissioned trains. One can check out the Garet Roller, ER’s 2-4-2 Steam Locomotive, Double Decker train Passenger coach belonging to the early 20th century, the YG, the WCM5 locomotives and the Passenger Carriage from the 1940s. The museum is a rich source of information about the trains and the history of the train system mainly of Eastern India.

Construction of the Howrah Rail Museum

The Howrah Rail Museum covers a vast space of land near Howrah Station. It consists of a huge gate and tracks laid out from the right side of the gate. There are huge sheds built at regular distances to each other which home the magnificent collections of locomotives. These include the electric locomotives, diesel locomotives, as well as the rare to find steam locomotives which are preserved or reconstructed. There is also a miniature model of the Howrah Railway Station created with immense details. There are signals constructed close to the tracks laid across the museum which help us understand their working. The museum is carefully constructed and designed to give the visitors a pleasant and enriching experience.

Timings and Entry Fees of the Howrah Rail Museum

The Howrah Rail Museum has a very minimal entrance fee at which people can visit. The entry fee for the visitors is INR 10 per person and children below the age of 3 are can visit free of cost. The rail museum is open for visitors from 10:30 AM to 5:30 PM. The museum remains closed on Mondays.

Best Time to Visit the Howrah Rail Museum

The best time to visit the museum is during the winter season. The weather is cold and pleasant with temperatures ranging from 18 to 27 degrees Celsius. Though, many people also choose to visit during summers. The summers do not have very high temperatures and hence people also visit during this time of the year. The monsoon is considered as offseason since heavy rainfall makes it very difficult for the tourists to visit the museum. Hence most of the tourists visit during the winters.

Places to Visit Nearby

The Howrah Rail Museum is located near Howrah railway station which connects it to the most well-known tourist destinations. These include the famous Howrah Bridge, Dakshineswar Kali Temple, the Marble Palace, the well-known Eden Gardens Stadium and Prinsep Ghat. All these destinations lie close to each other, the Howrah Station being the centre connecting each of them. Tourists can visit the museum while visiting these destinations.

How To Reach Rail Museum

The Howrah Rail Museum is located in Howrah, Kolkata. It has an excellent connection of roads built around it. It can be reached via road through private vehicles as well as public vehicles like buses and taxis. The Howrah Railway Station which has very good rail connections to major parts of the country is located at a walking distance of just 5 minutes from the museum. This makes, visiting via railways, the most convenient option for the people visiting the museum. The closest airport is the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport located 18 KMS away from the museum.

The Rail Museum serves as an important medium to portray the history and evolution of Indian Railways. It has contributed to educating the tourists about the phases that the Indian Railways went through. At the same time, the museum has become an integral part of the tourism industry.

Top Hotel Collections

Guest Houses

OYO Hotels

Cheap Hotels

Near Howrah

Near Sankrail Station

Rail Museum Reviews

Your rating

Bijay Laha

on Rail Museum 3 years ago

Best place for Children. Beautiful place to visit to get a glimpse of history of Indian Railways. Very well maintained and nicely decorated. There is a toy train ride on very nominal charges. Suitabl (Read More)e for Educational tour.