Silchar, March 21: The first broad-gauge commercial freight train chugged into Bairabi railway station in Mizoram today amid a rousing welcome.
The freight train, comprising 42 wagons loaded with foodgrain (rice), left Katakhal railway station in Hailakandi district of Assam in the morning and reached Bairabi, 118km from the Mizoram capital Aizawl, in Kolasib district, at 12.55 pm.
For the Northeast Frontier Railway, it also became the first step towards its target of providing railway connectivity to Aizawl by March 2019. Hundreds of cheering people including Mizoram transport, food, civil supplies and consumer affairs minister John Rotluangliana, Kolasib legislator P.C. Zoram Sangliana, parliamentary secretary T.T. Zothansanga and senior officials of NF Railway were present at Bairabi station to welcome the train.
The Katakhal-Bairabi gauge conversion project, a stretch of 84.25km, was #part of the Lumding-Silchar broad-gauge project, which was completed last year.
Pranav Jyoti Sharma, chief public relations officer of NF Railway, said: "The Katakhal-Bairabi project was completed well within target. The present success is attributed to the hard work and dedication of railway engineers," he said.
On the commencement of passenger service, Sharma said the formalities of inspection by the commissioner, railway safety, would be completed soon and passenger trains would start plying thereafter.
With the arrival of the first broad-gauge train at Bairabi, Mizoram became the third northeastern state after Tripura and Manipur to get connected by broad-gauge line in this financial year.
"Railway connectivity plays a vital role in the development of a region. This connectivity will certainly provide better marketing facilities and will contribute to the socio-economical development of Mizoram," said Nelson Thomas, a businessman of Kolasib, who was at Bairabi station to welcome the train.
Constructed at a cost of Rs 3,26.51 crore, the Katakhal-Bairabi line passes through nine stations - Algapur, Hailakandi, Monacherra, Lalabazar, Mahamadpur, Katlicherra, Manipur Bagan, Jamira and Ramnathpur. "We are determined to connect all the eight states of the Northeast by 2020. Work is on in full swing for the new broad-gauge track from Bhairabi to Sairang near Aizawl, which is scheduled to be completed by March 2019," said an NF Railway official.
The Katakhal-Bairabi railway project was sanctioned in 2000.
