GUWAHATI:
Electric trains will finally make their debut in Meghalaya with Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) completing electrification works of the 22.823 track kilometre single line Mendipathar (Meghalaya)- Dudhnoi (Assam) section on March 15.
“Mendipathar is the only railway station in Meghalaya which is in operation since 2014 after being inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After commissioning of electric traction, trains hauled by electric locomotive will now be able to operate directly from Mendipathar which will increase the average speed,” NFR Chief Public Relations Officer Sabyasachi De said on Friday.
“More passenger and freight carrying trains will be able to operate through these sections with full sectional speeds. Punctuality will also increase in this section,” the official said.
Parcel and freight carrying trains hauled by electric locomotives from other states will be able to reach Meghalaya directly, he said.
Electrification will significantly improve the mobility of trains in Northeast India.
“In addition to the reduction in pollution due to the shift from fossil fuel to electricity, the efficiency of the railway system in the region will also improve. This would facilitate seamless traffic and also save the time of the trains moving to and from Northeastern states apart from savings in precious foreign exchange,” he also said.
In a bid to achieve the Indian Railways’ target of becoming a net zero carbon emitter by 2030, the NFR has also achieved another milestone by commissioning Abhayapuri–Pancharatna (34.59 track kilometre) double line section on the same day.
“The Central Organization for Railway Electrification (CORE) has carried out the electrification works in both the sections,” a spokesperson of NFR said.