Hailakandi, March 31: The metre-gauge railway era came to an end in the Northeast today with the flagging off a passenger train from Baraigram to Dullabcherra on the newly converted 29.3km broad-gauge track on the Lumding-Silchar route in Barak Valley.

With the commissioning of this section, there is no metre-gauge track left under the jurisdiction of NF Railway.

Minister of state for railways Rajen Gohain today flagged off the passenger train service in the Baraigram-Dullabcherra section in Karimganj district via teleconferencing from the NFR headquarters in Guwahati. At Baraigram station, Karimganj South legislator Aziz Ahmed Khan and state PWD minister Parimal Suklabaidya were present.

Two pairs of trains, one from Silchar and another from Badarpur, will connect Dullabcherra daily. There are five stations between Baraigram and Dullabcherra - Eraligul, Phakhoagram, Bazarghat, Ratabari and Anipur.

The stretch was under the Lumding-Silchar-Kumarghat gauge conversion project, whose cost was about Rs 140 crore. There are eight major and 60 minor bridges and six manned level crossings in the section.

A commuter said the plying of passenger trains will definitely boost the economy of the area as traders will be able to transport goods, including vegetables, easily to the bigger markets.

Local residents demanded an inquiry into the falling down of a guard wall in the newly constructed Dullabcherra station last night because of heavy showers.

NFR commissioner of railway safety Sailesh Kumar Pathak recently went on a trial run on a 14-coach train. From Baraigram to Dullabcherra, the train speed was 103km per hour.

Pathak said the gauge conversion work was completed on a priority basis. He said the quality of soil in Barak Valley was not suitable for constructing tracks. He has also inspected the Arunachal-Jiribam, Karimganj-Kumarghat, Katakhal-Bairabi and Karimganj-Mahisashan tracks.

He said the speed limit in Silchar-Lumding hill section will be lowered and the train will run at a slower speed in Dima Hasao during the monsoon. The constant sliding down of mud from the hills may disrupt the smooth running of trains, he added.

NFR sources said the new rail bypass in Karimganj town is expected to start next month and the Agartala-Jirania goods train will also start plying soon.

The NFR is also planning new night trains on the Silchar-Guwahati and Agartala-Silchar routes.