Page 33 - NIS English 01-15 February, 2025

RAIL CONNECTIVITY INCREASED
IN THE NORTHEAST

Before 2014, only Guwahati of Assam was connected to the rail
network in the North Eastern region. Under the 'Capital Connectivity'
project, now Itanagar-Arunachal and Agartala of Tripura have
also been connected to it. In 2022, for the first time, a goods
train reached Rani Gaidinliu Railway Station in Tamenglong,
Manipur. In 2023, the first electric train reached Meghalaya.
The Agartala-Akhaura railway project connecting Bangladesh
and the northeastern states of India has significantly reduced
the time taken to cover the distance between Kolkata and
Agartala. Nagaland has got its second station after 100 years. The
commissioning of new railway lines in the region has increased
threefold.
To improve rail connectivity with the northeastern states and the
rest of India, 18 railway infrastructure projects (13 new lines and 5 MAHA KUMBH
doublings) of 1368 km, costing about Rs 75 thousand crore, are RAILWAYS' 13
in different stages of planning, approval, or construction. These
projects fall fully or partially in the Northeast region. Of these, 313 THOUSAND REGULAR/
km length has been commissioned. By March 2024, about Rs 41 SPECIAL TRAINS
thousand crore has been spent on them. Talking about the last
10 years, more than 1700 km of the section was converted into Union Railway Minister
new lines, gauges conversion, or doubled. In these ten years, an Ashwini Vaishnaw told
average of 173 km of new tracks were built per year, whereas the Parliament that
during 2009-14 this figure was only 67 km per year, that is, 170% of keeping in mind the rush
new tracks have been built in the last decade. Not only this, in the of passengers expected
last decade, an average of 142 km of tracks were electrified per during Maha Kumbh, a
year, which was zero during 2009-14. During the same period, 470 complete blueprint of
rail flyovers and underbridges were constructed in the region. running 13 thousand trains
Out of the Rs 2.62 lakh crore received by Indian Railways as capital including 10,000 regular
expenditure in the financial year 2024-25, Rs 10,376 crore has been trains had already been
set aside for the Northeast region, which is 5 times more than the prepared. This shows a
annual average budget outlay during the period 2009-14. Earlier, focused effort to serve
Rs 74,972 crore has already been allocated for 18 ongoing projects the middle class and
involving 1,368 km of new tracks. economically weaker
families.

railways, cleanliness of railways, cleanliness of railway Indian is filled with pride seeing the transformation of
platforms—everything was ignored. When the country's Indian Railways. Today Indian Railways has become
politics changed in 2014, its leadership decided that the much safer. To strengthen passenger safety, the
railways would be transformed. In the past 10 years, Made in India Kavach system is being expanded in the
it has been the constant endeavor of Prime Minister railways. Certainly, today, from north to south, east to
Narendra Modi to make Indian Railways the best rail west, railways are adding new chapters to the country's
network in the world. development journey. In the past years, the railways have
Everyone knows what kind of news used to come raised hopes of solving decades-old problems through
about Indian Railways before the year 2014. Sometimes their hard work. But there is still a long way to go in this
the news of the death of school children used to be direction. The central government is determined that it
heart-wrenching. Today, the broad gauge network has will not stop until Indian Railways becomes a guarantee
become free from unmanned crossings. Today every of a comfortable journey for everyone. n

NEW INDIA SAMACHAR | February 1-15, 2025 31