Jorhat, Oct. 20: The Tinsukia division of NF Railway is placing a proposal to lay a 100-metre chord track from Mariani junction for inclusion in the 2013 Railway Budget. This will enable long-distance trains to ply through Jorhat town.

At present, all long-distance trains, like Rajdhani Express, which have a large number of bogies, skip Jorhat because coming to the town involves taking a sharp turn near Mariani junction. The proposal is to join the main line from Mariani junction to the one coming towards Jorhat using a 100-metre chord track, thereby allowing long trains to avoid the sharp turn.

Niranjan Jain, a member of the divisional railway users’ consultative committee of Tinsukia division, disclosed this at a meeting held recently at the divisional headquarters. He said divisional railway manager Harsh Kumar, in reply to a query, had assured him that the proposal for the track would be given top priority and that he would try to get it incorporated in the 2013 Railway Budget.

Other committee members who attended the meet demanded a direct line from Sivasagar to Jorhat so that the three headquarters could be connected.

Jain, who is also secretary of Jorhat Vikash Committee, said his organisation, along with the AASU, AJYCP and Rail Sewa Suraksha Samiti, had been pressing for construction of the chord line from Mariani so that long-distance trains with a large number of bogies could make the turn without a considerable reduction in speed.

“All that is required is the laying of a 100-metre track from Mariani to connect with a portion of the track which runs to Jorhat railway station. Then, all long-distance trains, including Rajdhani Express, can ply through Jorhat town,” Jain said.

The committee demanded extension of the Jorhat-Dibrugarh passenger train, which started to ply from October 1, to Dibrugarh town station instead of stopping at Benipur, on the outskirts of that town. It also demanded extension of the Guwahati-Jodhpur-Bikaner Mail right up to Dibrugarh.

Jain said the divisional railway manager had agreed to repair the road near Jorhat railway station, which was in a dismal condition, and also build a new and modern station building here so that one of the oldest stations in the Northeast can get a new look.