Vande Bharat Express to Start from Tripura Soon, Says CM Manik Saha

Vande Bharat express to start from Tripura soon: CM Manik Saha

Agartala, July 5

He said that he has placed a demand before the Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, for the extension of the double-line railway up to Sabroom, and that the work on the railway line from Jirania to Bodhjong Nagar Industrial Estate is progressing.

Chief Minister Manik Saha said this while flagging off the Agartala-Karimganj-Agartala MEMU train service at Agartala Railway Station in Badarghat.

Speaking at the event, Saha said, "Today is a truly happy day for us. In 1964, a metre-gauge train came from Kalkalighat in Assam to Dharmanagar in Tripura for the first time. Later, in 1990, the metre-gauge train was extended up to Kumarghat. The Central Government, under the leadership of the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, declared the railway project for the North Eastern Zone and Tripura as a national project. Then, in 2008, the metre-gauge train service reached Agartala. In 2014, after Narendra Modi took charge as the Prime Minister, he adopted the Act East Policy for the development of the Northeast. Gradually, the railway service was upgraded from metre gauge to broad gauge," he said.

The Chief Minister said that a few days ago, he met and spoke to the Union Railway Minister.

"At that time, I demanded better and good-quality rail services for Tripura. As usual, he assured me. After that, today's MEMU train started its journey. A railway official told me that this MEMU train has started from Tripura for the first time in the Northeast. Previously, such a train was not provided in the Northeast zone. This train will now go up to Karimganj. Along with this, special attention has been paid to the comfort of the passengers. In the coming days, the Vande Bharat Express will also start from here. This is the first time that an electric passenger train is starting from Tripura through the MEMU service, which is a matter of great pride for us. Now the train service has reached the last border town of Tripura, Sabroom," he said.

During the discussion, CM Saha also said that by 2026, about 271 kilometres of railway line across Tripura, from Churaibari, will be electrified.

"As the electrification work is completed, the Vande Bharat Express train will also start from here in the coming days. The safety of passengers on trains is very important. In this regard, it is essential to keep passengers informed about the train's location. The more train services increase, the less passenger congestion there will be. Today's MEMU train can carry about 3,600 passengers in its 12 coaches. This train is equipped with a GPS system, CCTV camera surveillance, and a high-quality braking system. It has all the facilities required to ensure the safe travel of passengers," he said.

"I have asked the Railway Minister to provide a double railway line. A survey has already been conducted for this. If there is a double line, more trains will be able to operate here. The work on the 14-km railway line from Jirania to Bodhjangnagar Industrial City is progressing. About Rs 560 crore has been estimated for this project. Rs 42 lakh has already been allocated. The final location survey has been officially approved. We have also demanded new express trains to Jammu, Puri, and Gaya," he added.

Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury, Rajya Sabha MP Rajib Bhattacharya, MLA Mina Rani Sarkar, DRM, North Eastern Railway, Samir Lohani, Secretary of the Transport Department Uttam Kumar Chakma, and other public representatives and administrative officials were present as distinguished guests on the occasion.

— ANI