Assam: New Bongaigaon-Goalpara-Guwahati project to be ready by 2023: NFR
GUWAHATI
With about 50 percent of the New Bongaigaon-Goalpara Town-Guwahati double line work already completed, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has now set a target of March 2023 to complete the project, which will boost connectivity in both Assam and Meghalaya.
The 176-km long new line was sanctioned in September 2016 at an expected cost of about Rs 2,950 crore.
“Nearly 50 percent of the project work has been completed with an expenditure of about Rs 1095 crore. A distance of 17.46 km has already been commissioned for train operation. Once the project is fully commissioned, not only Assam but a part of Meghalaya will be benefitted as the broad-gauge rail connectivity to Mendipathar station in North Garo Hills takes off from Dudhnoi station of Assam falling in this section,” a statement issued by NFR here on Sunday said.
For speedy implementation, the entire project has been segregated into various sections.
“While work is in progress in all the sections; work up to Bamunigaon station is expected to be over by December 2021, while the Bamunigaon-Azara section is targeted for commissioning by February 2022 and finally reaching Kamakhya by March 2023,” the statement said.
NFR sources said that work on the project was going on in full swing with adequate allocation of funds.
“This year’s budget allocated Rs 610 crore for the project. Last year, an amount of Rs 450 crore was allocated. Once completed, it will provide a faster alternate double-line route between New Bongaigaon and Kamakhya. This will ease traffic in the already saturated main line between New Bongaigaon and Kamakhya,” it said.
The line capacity will also be augmented to run more passenger and freight trains once the project is commissioned.
“Punctuality of passenger trains will get a boost. Movement of men and material in case of any disaster or natural calamity will be more expeditious,” the statement said.
(Edited by Christopher Gatphoh)
