By Firstdespatch Desk Mar 31, 2024
Agartala, Mar 31 (FD) The Vande Bharat Express train will commence its service in Tripura soon after the electrification of rail lines is completed, Union minister of state for social justice and social empowerment, Pratima Bhowmik said.
The medium-distance superfast train service would connect Guwahati by July and the North East Frontier Railway (NFR) has completed electrification of the existing railway network from Dharmanagar town in North Tripura district to Kumarghat in Unakoti district and it would take three to four months to reach Agartala.
“Once the train is launched, would take less than five hours to reach Guwahati and Tripura would be well connected with the rest of the country”, she said on Saturday, while addressing an election rally at Dhanpur in Gomati district in favour of Biplab Kumar Deb, who is contesting from West Tripura constituency.
Criticising the erstwhile Left Front and Congress Government, she said they took 44 years to extend railway connectivity from Churaibari, bordering Assam to Dharmanagar, about 15 KM.
“Our beloved Prime Minister Narendra Modi took only two years to take the broad gauge train service up to the capital city, Agartala. The Southernmost town near Bangladesh is now well connected four years ago”, she said.
The BJP leader said, "I had a meeting with the Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw regarding the railway works in the northeastern states and found out that the electrification work up to Agartala is expected to be completed by June or July." Once the electrification work is completed, Vande Bharat Express will be extended up to Agartala and the Tripura people would reach Guwahati within four to five hours. At present, it takes 12 hours for people to travel between the two destinations by train.
She said the Prime Minister, who is keen on improving connectivity of the North-East, had given the HIRA model to Tripura.
HIRA stands for Highway, Internet way, Railway and Airway.
Bhowmik is the incumbent Loksabha MP from West Tripura parliamentary constituency, but she was not given the ticket to contest this time.
She also contested the assembly elections held in February last year from Dhanpur constituency, but chose to continue as a union minister. FD JK