'59 rly stations in NE to have world class facilities'

Guwahati, Feb 3

A total of 59 stations in the northeast would be developed with world class facilities, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Friday.

Addressing a virtual presser from Delhi, he said 310 old train coaches will be converted to LHB coaches for a better riding experience and a comfortable journey for the passengers.

Last year, 445 km of railway tracks were electrified in Assam.

"15 stations each in all divisions of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) are to be developed under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme," the Minister said.

During the interaction, he said adequate funds have been allotted for the overall development of Railway infrastructure in all the northeastern states.

Vaishnaw claimed that for the first time, an amount of Rs 1.20 lakh crore has been earmarked for connecting the hilly and border areas.

The Gross Budget Allocation for N.F. Railway for the financial year 2023-24 is Rs 10,988.80 crore. It is 13.75 per cent more than the previous year's allotment. The allocation for the northeastern states is Rs 10,269 crore, which is about Rs 300 crore higher than last year.

Around Rs 6,591 crore has been allocated for new lines while Rs 1,364 crore is earmarked for the doubling of railway tracks.

According to railway officials, sufficient funds were allocated for early execution of all the ongoing works like Dimapur-Kohima, Jiribam-Imphal etc. new line projects.

Other capital connectivity projects in the northeastern states, such as Sivok-Rangpo new line projects in Sikkim, gets Rs 2,350 crore while Rs 915 crore has been allocated for Bairabi-Sairang new line projects in Mizoram.

Moreover, Rs 200 crore has been allocated for the Agartala-Akhaura international connectivity project between India and Bangladesh.

"Also, Agthori station near Guwahati will be redeveloped with world class facilities at a cost of Rs 517 crore," a railway official said.