Enhancing rail connectivity in North East and Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian Railways on Thursday (20 October) launched new train services, including extension of service to two more sectors and introduced a new Vistadome coach for the region.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw along with Lieutenant Governor, Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma, and Chief Minister of Tripura Manik Saha, flagged off these trains through video conferencing.

The Dullabcherra-Guwahati tri-weekly train, the Agartala-Sabroom DEMU train, extension of the Guwahati-Secunderabad Express upto Silchar (Assam), and an extension of the Kamakhya-Lokmanya Tilak Express upto Agartala (Tripura) were flagged off.

A new Vistadome coach on the Budgam-Banihal train, in Jammu and Kashmir, was also flagged off.

During the ceremony, several dignitaries were connected through video conferencing.

Speaking on the occasion, Vaishnaw said, “In last nine years, North East states and Jammu Kashmir have changed a lot and the change is discernible on the ground. Prime Minister has visited North East region more than 60 times, which is higher than the visits of Prime Ministers of India before him.”

“After abrogation of Article 370, development of Jammu and Kashmir is pacing fast. Recently, meetings of G20 were held in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. In Railways also, various development projects have been ongoing in both these regions,” he added.

The Railways have allotted the annual budget of around Rs 10,269 crore for North East, while earlier it was around Rs 2,122 crore. The Railways’ projects are progressing swiftly in North eastern states.

The Railway Minister said, “Two Vande Bharat Trains are also being planned for North East. In Jammu and Kashmir, development work has been completed on Chenab Bridge, Anji Bridge, tunnels have been completed, except on some portion. Railways are working for overall transformation of North eastern states.”

Speaking on the occasion, Lieutenant Governor Sinha said, “Vistadome coach between Banihal and Budgam is a big leap by the Railways in the development of the union territory. The state-of-the-art Vistadome will attract tourists in large number.”

Sinha said that there has been substantial boost in tourism in recent times and the new coach will further give impetus to the development of the area.

Saha said, “We are thankful to the Prime Minister and the Railway Minister for augmenting the rail connectivity in the state. It will boost the connectivity in remote areas and give impetus to trade and tourism in the state.”

Speaking on the occasion, the Assam Chief Minister said, “Prime Minister has laid emphasis on the development of Jammu and Kashmir and North East states since he assumed office. It is an important day as Assam is getting extension of one train to Barak valley, one train being extended to Agartala, one train is being introduced to the remote area of Dullabcherra. I thank Prime Minister and Railway Minister for this initiative.”

Extension of the Guwahati-Secunderabad Express (weekly) upto Silchar (Assam) aims to provide direct connectivity between Barak Valley (Silchar) and Secunderabad.

It is expected to benefit people of lower Assam and areas bordering Barak Valley. The regular service of the train will commence from 21 October 2023, from Secunderabad.

The introduction of Dullabcherra-Guwahati tri-weekly train will provide direct connectivity between the remote areas of Dullabcherra and Guwahati, benefiting students, businessmen and traders of Dullabcherra.

Extension of the Kamakhya-Lokmanya Tilak Express (weekly) upto Agartala (Tripura) will provide direct train service between capital of Tripura and Mumbai.

It will benefit people in the region, traders and patients in Tripura who travel to Mumbai for treatment. The regular service of the train upto Agartala will commence from 22 October 2023, from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus.

The introduction of Agartala-Sabroom DEMU train is expected to benefit people from the remote areas of the state and will enhance connectivity with the state capital, Agartala. It also aims to boost tourism in the state.

The launch of Vistadome coach in the Budgam-Banihal train aims to provide memorable journey experiences to the passengers.