For the electrification of railway track from Lumding to Sabroom in Tripura, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has set a target of completing the task before August 2024, an official revealed.
He mentioned that electrification has been completed along 165 km of the 265 km track from Dharmanagar to Sabroom via Agartala, with the remaining 100 km slated for completion by August this year.
Progress report
About 85% of the electrification work from Lumding to Badarpur, a 172 km stretch, has been completed, Chief Public Relations Officer of NFR Sabyasachi De told PTI.
“Overall 65 per cent of the tracks that fall under the NFR have been brought under electrification to boost the railway network in the northeast. In Assam, 55 per cent of the total railway tracks have been covered with ongoing electrification drive,” he said.
Once the electrification is completed, trains such as Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat could be introduced, De added. Several steps have been taken to speed up the process.
Phasing out diesel-operated trains
De emphasised NFR’s intention to gradually phase out diesel-operated trains, highlighting the advantages of transitioning to electric trains, which will notably reduce diesel expenses.
“Running electric trains is more profitable compared to diesel engines. The new system will be cost-effective as well as beneficial for the NFR. The carbon emission will also be scaled down once trains start running on electric,” he said.
De also disclosed that the Centre has allocated Rs 260 crore to upgrade Agartala station to world-class standards and Rs 93 crore for the transformation of three railway stations – Dharmanagar, Udaipur, and Kumarghat – into Amrit Bharat stations.
(With PTI inputs)