Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off northeast region’s first Vande Bharat Express virtually on Monday. The train will connect Guwahati in Assam with New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal and the journey will take five-and-a-half hours. Earlier, the fastest train on the route took six-and-a half hours to cover the distance of nearly 400 km.
Mr. Modi also dedicated 182 route km of newly electrified sections to the nation. Now, 425 km of railway tracks in Assam and Meghalaya have been electrified. This will help provide pollution-free transportation at higher speeds and less running time.
‘More funds allocated’
Mr. Modi said that prior to 2014, the average Railway budget for the northeast was about ₹2,500 crore, which has grown to more ₹10,000 crore in the current year, which is a four-fold increase. “Now, the capitals of Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Sikkim are being connected to the rest of the country. Very soon, all capital cities of the northeast are going to be connected by a broad gauge network,” he said, adding that ₹1 lakh crore was being spent on these projects.
Mr. Modi said the Guwahati-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat train will strengthen the centuries-old ties between Assam and West Bengal. This will increase ease of travel and bring huge benefits to students as well as generate more job opportunities through tourism and business.
He said the new Vande Bharat will provide connectivity to Maa Kamakhya Temple, Kaziranga, Manas National Park, and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary. Furthermore, it will enhance travel and tourism in Shillong, Cherrapunji in Meghalaya and Tawang and Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh, he said.
Mr. Modi also inaugurated a new Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) and Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) shed at Lumding in Assam. It will be helpful in maintaining DEMU rakes, leading to better operational feasibility.
In March this year, a report by the Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) of India said the Indian Railways could have avoided expenses running into ₹1,140 crore on construction of the Dimapur-Kohima New Line Project in Nagaland, had it practised due diligence. The project has been hit by inflated budgets and fraught with delays.
