Agartala, May 15, 2024: The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) is pushing to complete the electrification of the railway track from Lumding to Sabroom in Tripura before August this year, a senior official announced on Wednesday.

“Out of the total 265 km track from Dharmanagar to Sabroom via Agartala, electrification has been completed along 165 km while the remaining 100 km will be finished by August this year,” the official stated.

Highlighting the progress, Chief Public Relations Officer of NFR, Sabyasachi De, mentioned, “The electrification work from Lumding to Badarpur (172 km), considered a hill section, has also made good progress as 85 per cent of the work has already been completed.”

De further emphasized, “Overall, 65 per cent of the tracks falling under the NFR have been brought under electrification to bolster the railway network in the northeast. In Assam, 55 per cent of the total railway tracks have been covered under the ongoing electrification drive.”

He also discussed the future prospects, stating, “Premier trains like Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat could be introduced up to Agartala once the ongoing electrification work from Lumding to Sabroom via Agartala is completed. Steps have been taken to expedite the electrification project.”

Regarding the transition to electric trains, De asserted, “NFR plans to phase out diesel-run trains gradually. Running electric trains will be more beneficial as it will substantially reduce expenditure on diesel.”

“Running electric trains is more profitable compared to diesel engines. The new system will be cost-effective as well as beneficial for the NFR. Carbon emissions will also be scaled down once trains start running on electric,” he explained.

Highlighting financial aspects, he mentioned, “The Centre has sanctioned Rs 260 crore for making Agartala station world-class, and Rs 93 crore has been allocated to convert three railway stations – Dharmanagar, Udaipur, and Kumarghat – into Amrit Bharat stations.”