Agartala: Tripura has become a fully electrified railway state with the completion of electrification of 271 kilometres of railway tracks, power minister Ratan Lal Nath announced on Wednesday.
The minister inaugurated the project at a programme held at the Agartala Railway Station and urged the North East Frontier Railway authorities to immediately introduce electric trains in the state.
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“Tripura is now 100 percent electrified in terms of railway tracks. The Centre can start operating trains compatible with electric traction at any time, as our infrastructure is ready,” Nath said.
Highlighting the achievement as a milestone in the state’s connectivity journey, Nath recalled the decades-long struggle for railway expansion.
He noted that Dharmanagar was connected by rail in 1964, Agartala got its first train service in 2008, Sabroom was linked in 2019 after the BJP came to power at the Centre.
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And now the entire network stands electrified.
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He added that all lines have been converted into broad gauge and the international railway link with Bangladesh is operational.
Nath added that four railway stations in Tripura are being modernised under the Amrit Bharat Station scheme, with 20 percent of the work already completed.
Tripura is currently served by 19 long-distance trains along with four DEMU services, carrying around 10,000 to 12,000 passengers daily.
Speaking about future projects, Nath informed that the survey for double-lane tracks up to Agartala has been completed.
The proposal for double-lane connectivity between Agartala and Sabroom is under consideration.
Nath further said that infrastructure development under the present government has been “overwhelming”, pointing out that the National Highway network in the state has expanded from 199 kilometres to 1,923 kilometres in recent years.