Kanchrapara Workshop, one of the oldest workshops in the country, was set up in the year 1863 by the then Eastern Bengal Railway as a Combined Workshop for repairs to Steam Locomotives, Wooden-bodied Carriage and Wagons. The management of this Workshop was taken over by the State on 1st July, 1884. In the year 1914, a separate Carriage and Wagon Workshop was completed and shifted to its present site. This workshop has the distinction to serve the Defence Department for repairs to Air Craft and manufacture of Armoured Cars and Hand Granade Shells during World War II.

This Workshop also manufactured 78 Nos. Tower Cars between 1957 to 1986 and there after this activity was shifted to Jamalpur Workshop.

With the introduction of electric traction, this Workshop was nominated for undertaking repairs and Periodic Overhaul of Electric Locomotives by off-loading the POH and repair of Steam Locomotives. The Workshop had the privilege of turning out first Electric Locomotive after POH in the year 1965.

Electric Multiple Unit service for commuters of Calcutta and its Suburbs was introduced sometime in 1965 and this Workshop was again given the responsibility for undertaking POH of EMU Coaches. The first EMU Motor Coach was turned out after POH in 1968.

There was technical constraint in rewinding of Traction Motor Armatures as the trade was not developed till such time. This Workshop accepted the technical challenge for taking up the rewinding of Traction Motor Armature as a support facility for POH of Locomotives as well as assistance to the divisions. The rewinding work started in early seventies and by 1976 proper facilities were created and now it has the facility for taking up rewinding work of all types of Traction Motor Armatures, Traction Transformers, Auxiliary Machines, etc and Workshop is taking work load from foreign Rlys also.

With the increase of EMU services, the load of EMU Motor Coaches increased and in 1987 the Wagon Shop was converted into a full-fledged EMU Motor Coach POH Shop. The staff working for Wagon POH were utilised for EMU POH after giving technical training in-house.

This Workshop at present deals with different product-mix of Electric Locomotives, EMU Motor and Trailer Coaches, Conventional Coaches (non A.C.), DMU, 8 wheeler Tower car and is manufacturing a number of components required for Electric Locos, EMUs, Coaches and Wagons. It has adapted to the changed environment from time to time.