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Showing posts with label silchar-lumding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label silchar-lumding. Show all posts

Friday, 9 October 2020

07:16

Weekly Special Train Between Trivandrum Central and Silchar Via Perambur

 Weekly Special Train Between Trivandrum Central and Silchar Via Perambur

No.230/2020-21

07-10-2020

Chennai

RESERVED WEEKLY SPECIAL BETWEEN TRIVANDRUM CENTRAL AND SILCHAR VIA PERAMBUR

Railway Board has notified fully reserved Weekly special trains between Trivandrum Central and Silchar via Perambur.  Special Trains as detailed below.

Train No. 02507 / 02508 Silchar – Trivandrum – Silchar Special Trains (Weekly)

With a composition of One 2-Tier AC coach, Four 3-Tier AC coaches, Thirteen Sleeper Class Coaches, Two General second Class Coaches and Two Luggage Cum Brake van, Train No. 02507 Trivandrum – Silchar Weekly special train will leave Trivandrum at 16.55 hrs. and reach Silchar at 19.00 hrs. o­n Thursdays. The first service from Trivandrum will be o­n 13th October, 2020.

Train No. 02508 Special train will leave Silchar at 20.05 hrs. and reach Trivandrum at 22.40 hrs. Sundays. The first service from Silchar will be o­n 08th October, 2020

Source:Southern Railway

Friday, 20 December 2019

08:49

Special Train Between Santragachi and Silchar

Special Train Between Santragachi and Silchar 

SER TO RUN ONETRIP OF SPECIAL TRAIN BETWEEN SANTRAGACHI AND SILCHAR TO CLEAR STRANDED PASSENGERS
Kolkata, 19th December, 2019:
With a view to clear stranded passengers, South Eastern Railway has decided to run o­ne trip of Special train between Santragachi and Silchar leaving Santragachi o­n 20.12.19.
08960 Santragachi-Silchar Special leaving Santragachi at 10.30 hrs o­n 20.12.19 (Friday) will reach Silchar at 17.15 hrs o­n Saturday.
The Special train consisting of o­ne AC-2 Tier, four AC-3 Tier, thirteen Sleeper Class and two General Second Class Coaches will have stoppages at Bolpur, Rampurhat, New Farakka, Malda Town, Kishanganj, New Jalpaiguri, Dhupguri, New Coochbehar, New Alipurduar, Kokrajhar, New Bongaigaon, Barpeta Road, Rangiya, Kamakhya, Guwahati, Hojai, Lumding, Maibang, New Haflong and Badarpur stations enroute.





Tuesday, 23 May 2017

08:14

Lumding-Silchar BG Rail line declared operational after corrective steps taken by Railways

Lumding-Silchar BG Rail line declared operational after corrective steps taken by Railways
22 May 2017

SILCHAR: Warning of “catastrophic disaster”, the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) concluded in the middle of 2015 that the Lumding-Silchar broad-gauge link in Assam, a key arterial track in the Northeast, posed a “danger to travelling public”. This was the first red flag. Documents show that at least three more other senior Railway officials cited the safety warning and raised objections over the line. The Railway Ministry opened the line to passenger trains in November that year. Just four months later, the line had to be shut for three months following two back-to-back derailments of passenger trains amid landslides and rainfall — there were no casualties.
The line was re-opened in August 2016, after some corrective measures were taken, and the track has been in operation since then.
When contacted, H K Jaggi, General Manager, Northeast Frontier Railway Construction Organisation (NFRCO), which built the line, said, “There were derailments due to slippage in the ghat section, which is common. The line has been functioning without any incident for over a year now. Now we have identified 14 locations for patrolling… instrumentation in many places has also been done.”
The link has 79 major and 340 minor bridges, and 21 tunnels. In his report, submitted in July 2015, S Nayak, the CRS, wrote: “Having inspected the Broad Gauge line…and having various technical discussions with Railway officials including detailed correspondences made with Railway Administration, I am of the opinion that the newly converted BG single line between New Haflong-Ditokcherra-Badarpur-Silchar can’t be opened for passenger traffic without danger to travelling public…”
The clearance by CRS, a statutory safety regulator under the Civil Aviation Ministry, is mandatory for opening any line for passenger operations.
On April 19, 2016, eight months after the CRS report, the Chief Bridge Engineer shut the line for two days for passenger trains, citing safety issues. On April 23, the Poorvottar Sampark Kranti Express from New Delhi to Silchar derailed between Ditokcherra and Banderkhal. On April 26, the train, on its return leg, derailed between Mahur and Phiding.
The 210-km section provides subsequent connectivity to Manipur on one side and Mizoram on the other. Lumding and Silchar were originally connected by a metre gauge line. The broad gauge project started around 1997, as part of a Rs 3,500-crore National Project. However, around 52 km of the new line was diverted through a geologically challenging stretch in the hills of the Indo-Burma range.
Stressing that any corrective measure would only bring “limited relief”, Nayak’s report stated: “The stability of the formation, tunnels, bridges, need to be holistically reviewed by a team of experts in geo-technology and structural engineering both in-house and from outside to formulate Action Plan for immediate short term and long term satisfactory performance… any failure in the critical section [New Haflong-Ditokcherra hill section] has potential for a catastrophic disaster, Railway Administration is urged to consider every possible risk and systematically address its mitigation.”
Following the CRS verdict, the NFRCO sent a letter to the Railway Board claiming that Nayak’s observations had been complied with. But this letter, sent within a week after the CRS report was received, did not include the consent of two key officials concerned — the Chief Bridge Engineer and the Chief Track Engineer.
On July 29, 2015, records show, the Railway Board sanctioned the opening of the line by “condoning” some of the relatively minor issues flagged by the CRS, such as non-standard length of sleeper and non-provision of “catch-siding and slip siding”.
Then came the second and third red flags. The then general manager of Northeast Frontier Railway, R S Virdi, refused to open the line stating that the CRS stipulations had not been fully complied with. R K Gupta, who succeeded Virdi, refused to move on the line, too, citing the same reason.
Following Gupta’s departure in October, the line was opened after a safety certificate was obtained from the new zonal general manager, based on a report from the NFRCO, which asserted that stipulations laid down by the CRS had been complied with.
However, within a few months, a fourth red flag came up, this time from the Chief Bridge Engineer of the Northeast Frontier Railway, Alok Kumar Verma.
In January 2016, in an internal note to the general manager, Verma wrote: “…the conditions for stability are most unfavourable and there is a serious threat to the safety of trains from the instability of the bridges, tunnels and high cuttings/embankments which together comprise 90 per cent of the route length… Unfortunately, geology has been cursorily dealt with in deciding the location and alignment….”
Officials told that the old meter gauge line was on the Meghalaya Plateau, where the tracks had “a solid footing”. Parts of the new “diverted alignment”, between New Haflong and Ditokcherra, is on an area mainly formed of shale, the soft sedimentary rock formed from consolidated mud or clay, they said.
When contacted, V K Gupta, the then Railway Board Member (Engineering), who is credited with completing the gauge conversion, denied that safety issues were overlooked.
“It never happens that the CRS says the line is unsafe and the Railways overrules it. The CRS might make certain observations, but they are complied with following which the lines are opened,” he said.
“The general manager signs the safety certificate and it carries signatures of at least 25 other senior officials of the zonal railways. If point A has to be connected with point B, many things can come in the way, be it folds, be it faults,” said Gupta.
“The area in question sees rainfall for six months during which time there might be landslides and other things. But there is a difference between a line being structurally unsafe and routine maintenance issues. The old meter gauge line used to be shut for months,” he said.
Official sources claimed that the Railway Ministry was “in a hurry” to open the line because the Assam assembly elections were due in April 2016, but Gupta denied this charge. Incidentally, after his retirement from service in 2016, Gupta was appointed as an Adviser to Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu.
A.K.Mittal, who succeeded Gupta as Member (Engineering) said, “The matter you are referring to happened much before I took charge, but I can tell you generally that the Himalayas have an unpredictable geology and there can be surprises. But that’s a natural phenomenon everywhere. Now if you see, the line is functional without any problems.”

Source:RailNews

Thursday, 25 February 2016

08:07

Barak Valley now connected with Manipur, Tripura and Delhi

Barak Valley now connected with Manipur, Tripura and Delhi

After 69 years of independence, Southern Assam gets direct train to New Delhi. Focus is to connect North-east with rest of India via a robust rail network; said Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister of Railways

Silchar: Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu today flagged off three trains, connecting the Barak valley with Manipur and Tripura as well as with Delhi via the rail route.

People of southern Assam’s multi-ethnic Barak valley bordering Bangladesh had a key role in the Independence movement of India. But it took 69 years since Independence to link the land-locked region that not only has three districts of Assam but is also the gateway by road to Tripura, Mizoram and parts of Manipur, to get its first direct trains to the national capital.

Prabhu flagged off the first freight trains from Badarpur in Karimganj district of Assam to Jirania in Agartala and to Jiribam in Manipur by remote from Silchar railway station at 2.58pm. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Saturday flagged off the weekly Silchar-New Delhi Poorvottar Sampark Kranti special express at a colourful ceremony at Silchar railway station in Cachar district of Southern Assam bordering Bangladesh. Prabhu declared that by 2020, all the state capitals of Northeast will have direct rail connectivity to New Delhi.

In a historic moment for the people of Barak valley, he also flagged off the Poorvottar Sampark Kranti Express from Silchar to New Delhi at 2.45pm.

Addressing the gathering at the Silchar railway station, Prabhu said all the capitals of the northeastern states would be brought under the railway map by 2020.

“It’s really very unfortunate that the people of this region had to wait for long to get railway services. We are determined to connect all the eight states of the Northeast by 2020. There will be no dearth of funds for the completion of this dream project,” he added.

The railway minister today announced that a passenger train would begin plying between Agartala and Silchar by April 14.

“I also request the NF Railway authorities to start a new Silchar-Guwahati inter-city express before the beginning of the new year. It will be a gift for the people of this valley on the occasion of the Indian New Year,” he added.

Prabhu also announced that he would try his best to run a train from Silchar to Tinsukia and another train from here to either Mumbai or Chennai soon.

The railway minister said the gauge-conversion work on the Agartala-Bangladesh route had also been started.

“We are committed to improve railway infrastructure in the Northeast. We provided an all-time high budget allotment of Rs 5,300 crore to the projects in this region in 2015-16. I assure you that there will be no dearth of funds in this mission,” he added.

He underscored the importance of railway connectivity in bringing development to a particular place. “Better railway connectivity will also provide better marketing facilities and contribute to the socio-economical development of this region,” he said.

With the gauge conversion of the erstwhile metre-gauge line from Arunachal village near Silchar in Assam to Jiribam in Imphal East district of Manipur, one more northeastern state has been brought onto the broad-gauge railway map of India. The revised estimated cost of this line is Rs 252 crore.

The gauge-conversion of Badarpur-Baraigram was sanctioned in 2003-04 and Baraigram to Kumarghat in Tripura in 2007-08 as material modification to Lumding-Silchar gauge conversion project at an estimated cost of Rs 565 crore. The work has been completed in this route.

A trial freight train was taken on the section and then up to Agartala on January 13 this year. To connect the capital of Tripura, the Kumarghat-Agartala broad-gauge line (109km) was sanctioned in 1996-97.

Addressing the people at the inaugural ceremony, Prabhu said that besides Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura, Manipur will be connected in the railway circuit within 2017-19 and Aizawl will also be connected in the same period.

“The North East has the capacity to contribute significantly to the nation’s development. But the region and people living in the states here need better connectivity to stay connected with the rest of India. It is a historic day for the people of the Barak Valley, who have long been waiting for better connectivity. We must turn our promises into performance. All the State capitals of the North East will be connected by railways by 2020,” Prabhu assured the gathering.

Prabhu said efforts will be made to extend rail routes to Kohima, Shillong and Gangtok within 2020 and officials have been instructed to do their best to achieve this mission.

He said that “acche din” for the people of the Barak Valley began with the starting of the Silchar-Guwahati passenger express on November 21 last. He announced that the Silchar-Agartala inter-city express and passenger trains, Silchar-Guwahati and Silchar-Tinsukia train services will be started within April 14. He also said that the Railways is aware of the need for trains from Silchar to Mumbai and Chennai and the issue will be discussed for introducing trains on the said routes at the earliest.

He also assured Silchar MP Susmita Dev that there will be no dearth of funds for ushering in development in the Barak Valley.

BJP MPs from Guwhati and Mangaldai, Bijoya Chakravarty and Ramen Deka, also spoke on the occasion. NF Railway General Manager HK Jaggi delivered the welcome address.

The Minister inaugurated the commercial BG freight trains from Badarpur to Jirania (Tripura) and Badarpur-Jiribam of Manipur this afternoon in the presence of NFR GM HK Jaggi, NFR Chief Administrative Officer Ajit Pandit, Chief Engineer Rabindra Ram and several other NFR officials, besides a huge gathering at the Silchar Railway Station. Immediately after the inauguration, two goods trains started their journey from Badarpur to Jirania and another goods train started moving from Badarpur to Jiribam. A large number of people who gathered at the Badarpur station greeted the Sampark Kranti express as soon as it arrived.

Thursday, 4 February 2016

14:08
KANCHANJUNGHA EXPRESS EXTENDED UPTO SILCHAR

·        Long cherished aspirations of the people of Barak Valley fulfilled.

Kolkata, February 2, 2016

          Kanchanjungha Express (15657/15658) has been extended upto Silchar, fulfilling the long cherished aspirations of the people of Barak Valley of Assam. The extended part of the train i.e. between Guwahati & Silchar has been re-numbered as 25657 Up/25658 Dn.
  • Train No.25657 Up Guwahati-Silchar Kanchanjungha Express runs 3-days a week i.e. Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday leaving Guwahati at 04.35 hrs and reach Silchar at 16.30 hrs.
  • Train No 25658 Dn Silchar-Guwahati Kanchanjungha Express runs 3-days a week i.e. Monday, Wednesday & Friday leaving Silchar at 09.45 hrs and reach Guwahati at 22.25 hrs.


Sunday, 13 December 2015

07:29

FIRST BG PASSENGER TRAIN FROM SILCHAR TO GUWAHATI FLAGED OFF

21112015/124
07-12-2015
MALIGAON

FIRST BG PASSENGER TRAIN FROM SILCHAR TO GUWAHATI FLAGED OFF

History was created in railway connectivity of Northeast today with the commencement of the passenger traffic between Lumding and Silchar. The first passenger train (55616/55615 Silchar-Guwahati Fast Passenger) was flagged off by the Union Minister of Railways,Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, through remote from Rail Bhawan, New Delhi at around 10.00 A.M. today. A parallel function was organized at Silchar Railway station where the Union Minister of State for RailwaysShri Manoj Sinha was in attendance along with the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affaires and SportsShri Sarbananda Sonowal, Honourable Lok Sabha MP Kumari Sushmita Dev,  Honourable MLA Shri Dilip Kumar Paul and local leaders.

As soon as Shri Suresh Prabhakar Parbhu flagged off, which was visible at Silchar Railway Station through video link, the Fast Passenger Train chugged out of Silchar Railway Station amid loud cheers from thousands of enthusiastic locals who saw a long-cherished dream being fulfilled.

The train with fifteen coaches -  one AC 3Tier coach, three Sleeper Class coaches, three General Second class coaches, six Chair Cars & two Luggage-cum-parcel vans - saw 100% booking on the inaugural run itself which is an indication of the extent of patronage that this line will get. The train, which will take off from Silchar at 05.00 A.M. every day, will stop at all stations between Silchar and Lumding and at Hojai to reach Guwahati at 05.15 P.M. same day. on the return journey, the train will leave Guwahati at 11.55 P.M. every day to reach Silchar at 01.10 P.M. next day.

Lumding – Silchar Gauge Conversion project has been a formidable engineering challenge because of the typical unstable geology of the region. The 210km track has 79 major bridges, 340 minor bridges and 21 tunnels. The longest tunnel is 3.235km and the tallest bridge over the river Doyang is 54 metres tall. There are a total of 33 stations in the Silchar – Lumding section.

It is noteworthy that beyond Silchar, N. F. Railway would be commissioning Broad Gauge connection up to Agartala by March 2016. By 2020, all the State Capitals are planned to be connected by Broad Gauge rail link. Railway offers the cheapest and the most reliable mode of transport in these areas and the planned expansion will benefit the people of remote areas in getting connected to the mainland.

Sunday, 22 November 2015

07:58

Railway Minister Flag off First Broad Gauge passenger Train from Silchar to Guwahati via Lumding

Railway Minister Flag off First Broad Gauge passenger Train from Silchar to Guwahati via Lumding

The Union Minister of Railways, Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, flagged off the First BG Fast Passenger Train from Silchar to Guwahati via Lumding, Haflong through Remote Control by organizing a Video-Conferencing between Rail Bhawan, New Delhi and Silchar Railway Station.  The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affaires and Sports Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha was specially present on the occasion at Silchar end.  At New Delhi end, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Karimganj, Assam Shri Radheshyam Biswas, Member Engineering Railway Board Shri V. K. Gupta, Member Traffic Railway Board Shri Kundan Sinha were among those present on the occasion. Connection of Silchar by BG railway line would not only benefit the people of Barak Valley, but would lead to opening of new vistas in connection to the hitherto isolated states of Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu said that it is an historic moment that people of South Assam are getting an important railway connectivity with rest of the Nation. Today we are introducing a new train between Guwahati and Silchar after conversion of Lumding-Silchar Metre Gauge line into Broad Gauge. Goods trains are already running in this section since March, 2015. More passenger trains will be introduced in near future. This will fulfill the long cherished demand of the people of Barak Valley to have a seamless connectivity.  

Shri Suresh Prabhu said that Indian Railway is committed to improve its infrastructure in North-Easter region and pointed out that all the eight sisters of this region are dear to the heart of the people in the country. Rail connectivity to North Eastern States has been made a mission item by the new government, as we provided an all time high budget allotment of Rs.5200 crores to the projects in this region in 2014-15 which is over 50% more than 2013-14.  This tempo has been maintained in 2015-16 also by providing Rs. 5300 crores.

Shri Suresh Prabhu said that we are working expeditiously to connect all Capitals of North Eastern States with railway connectivity.  Earlier this year Itanagar, the State Capital of Arunachal Pradesh was provided connectivity with the National Capital through a direct train. Also the entire North Bank of Brahmaputra has been brought on Broad Gauge with the commissioning of entire Rangiya-Rangapara-North Lakhimpur – Murkongselek (510 km) Gauge Conversion Project. Mega Block for conversion of Badarpur-Kumarghat-Agartala section has been taken with effect from 01.10.2015.  The Railway Minister pointed out that the work is progressing as per target and Agartala, the Capital of Tripura is all set to be on Broad Gauge by March, 2016.   Along with this, the Gauge Conversion of Kathakal-Bhairabi (Mizoram) and Arunachal (Station) – Jiribam (Manipur) sections will also be completed and these two States i.e Manipur and Mizoram will also come on Broad Gauge map of the country.  Shri Suresh Prabhu said that Railways have been commissioning about 133 km Broad Gauge track every year in the North Eastern region in last 4-5 years. In 2014-15, a record was made when about 450 km of lines were commissioned. This year again, we are all set to achieve a new record of commissioning of about 550 kilometres of Broad Gauge lines in this region.

Referring to the excellent relations between India and Bangladesh Shri Suresh Prabhu said that Indian Railways will also work for better connectivity with Bangladesh.

Shri Suresh Prabhu said that the development of infrastructure will also help youth in a big way as they will get better opportunities for skill development etc. The better railway connectivity will also provide better marketing facilities. Railways have been playing a major role in serving the infrastructural needs of the Northeast and will continue to contribute to the socio-economical development of this region.

He congratulated all Railway personnel for completing this project successfully despite many problems.

BACKGROUND BREIF ABOUT THE PROJECT : -

The 210km Lumding-Silchar GC project was sanctioned in the year 1996-97 at an initial cost of Rs.648 crores. Declared as a National Project in 2004, the project connects the Barak Valley of Assam by broad gauge track fulfilling a longstanding demand of the people of this area.

Commencement of passenger train service from Silchar to Lumding marks the completion of Phase-I of this project.

The track passes through the verdant North Cachar hills almost parallel to the old Metre Gauge alignment crisscrossing the MG alignment at many locations in the first 100 kms between Lumding and Migrendisa. Thereafter, the proposed BG alignment detours for 30 km before joining the MG alignment again near Ditockchera.

The mega block for the phase-I i.e., Lumding-Silchar section (210 km) was taken from 01.10.2014 for 6 months. The formation works and track linking works were completed and engine rolling upto New Haflong (100 Km) was done on 12.01.2015 and subsequently upto Silchar on 13.03.2015. The first goods train was flagged off by Hon’ble Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu on 27.3.2015. Thereafter, more than 155 goods train have plied in the section.

Phase-2 of the total project consists of gauge conversion of Badarpur-Kumarghat (118 km) and finger lines Arunachal-Jiribam (50 Km), Baraigram-Dullabcherra (29 km) & Karimganj-Mahishasan including Karimganj bye pass line (13.50 km). This phase will be completed by 31.03.2016 for which mega block has already been taken from 01.10.2015 for six months. The current estimated cost of the entire project is around Rs.6000 cores.

Connection of Silchar by BG railway line would not only benefit the people of Barak Valley, but would lead to opening of new vistas in connection to the hitherto isolated states of Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur.

Source :PIBNEWS.

Thursday, 6 August 2015

04:47

New Zones and Divisions on Indian Railways

New Zones and Divisions on Indian Railways are set up keeping in view various factors like size, workload, accessibility, traffic pattern and other operational/administrative requirements, consistent with the needs of economy and efficiency. 

At present, there is no plan to set up new divisions on Indian Railways, except those with headquarters at Gulbarga, Jammu and Silchar, which were announced in February, 2014. In addition, a Committee of senior officers from Railways has also been constituted to examine the issue of setting up a new railway zone in the successor State of Andhra Pradesh, in terms of Item No.8 of Schedule 13 (Infrastructure) of Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. 

Konkan Railway is not attached to any Zonal Railway. It is under the control of Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL), a Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the Ministry of Railways, formed with the mandate of construction and operation of Konkan Railway. 

This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha. 

Source:PIBNEWS.

Wednesday, 29 July 2015

09:59

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will Flag off the newly laid Silchar-Lumding broad-gauge

Silchar (SCL): passenger train service along the newly laid Silchar-Lumding broad-gauge route is likely to begin next month.

Sources in the Northeast Frontier Railway told that the passenger railway service was likely to be flagged off in August by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The line is expected to open for passenger trains from August 15, the source added.

The office of the general manager of NFR, Ranjit Singh Virdi, today said he would conduct an inspection of the line from Badarpur to Haflong on Tuesday.

The commissioner of railway safety, Sudarshan Kumar Nayak, in his report had mentioned that the Haflong-Silchar railway link was risky for passenger trains.

The report suggested the NFR to engage structural engineering and technology experts to review the status of the route.

The senior public relations officer, NF Railway (construction), D.C. Bora, said the railway would take all sorts of preventive measures before starting passenger services on the route.

“The NF railway is capable of overcoming the loopholes that were mentioned in the report. We are hopeful that the train service from Silchar to Lumding will begin by August,” he added.

Following the inspection by Virdi, engineers from the railway board will examine the tracks.

“The fate of the passenger train service will be decided based on the reports of the engineers of railway board. However, we are hoping that the passenger train service will start from next month,” said a senior railway officer.

The first broad gauge engine along the 210km route chugged into Silchar on March 13, and three days later, a special LG train with railway officials reached here.

Freight trains run on the route regularly.