Three railway stations in Tripura – Dharmanagar, Kumarghat, and Matabari (Udaipur) – have been included in the ‘Amrit Bharat Station‘ project, a delegation from the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) informed Tripura Chief Minister, Dr. Manik Saha. The cost of development of these three stations is expected to be Rs. 90.70 crore.
The NFR delegation, led by General Manager (Operation) Sunil Kumar Jha, paid a courtesy call to Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha on Tuesday and discussed various issues concerning the state’s railway network.
During the meeting, the NFR officials revealed that the process to convert the single rail track into double lines had already begun. Furthermore, the preliminary survey for this conversion from Chandranath area of Halflong to Sabroom (243 km) is expected to be completed by June next year.
The delegation also provided an update on the Agartala-Akhaura rail link project, saying that it is likely to reach its final stage by October of the current year.
Addressing the Chief Minister’s concerns, the NFR assured that the state government’s proposal for additional passenger trains on the Agartala-Dharmanagar route and an increase in the number of coaches in local DEMU trains would be given due consideration.
They also mentioned that proposals for introducing new express train services on the Agartala-Mumbai, Agartala-Jammu, Agartala-Puri, and Agartala-Guwahati inter-city routes are under consideration.
The NFR officials disclosed that the electrification of rail tracks from Badarpur to Sabroom is set to be completed by March next year.
Besides, they highlighted three alternative rail tracks – Pecharthal-Kailashahar-Dharmanagar (41.75 km), Dharmanagar-Belonia (178.72 km), and Belonia to Feni (2.92 km) – which are awaiting approval from the Railway Board.
Regarding infrastructure development, the NFR had already submitted a Detailed Project Report (DPR) of Rs. 235.45 crore for transforming Agartala Railway Station into a world-class station to the Railway Board.
Works for 12 out of 23 sanctioned Rail Over Bridges (ROB) have already commenced, and funds for the remaining 11 ROBs are expected to be allocated soon. The Sabroom Rail Yard project is nearing completion, with only 10 percent of the work remaining and a projected completion date of October this year.
Aside from the infrastructure developments, the Chief Minister also brought up issues of irregular ticket services in Jaharnagar, Nalkata, Sekerkote, and S.K. Para railway stations, as well as concerns over cleanliness and hygiene in DEMU trains. He emphasized the need for adequate security measures to prevent the transportation of contraband items through trains.
The NFR delegation also held discussions with Chief Secretary J.K. Sinha and officials from the Transport Department, including Secretary P.K. Chakraborty and Additional Secretary Subrata Chowdhury.
