Agartala: The Kanchanjunga Express, a lifeline connecting Tripura’s southernmost border subdivision Sabroom with Sealdah in Kolkata, will now make additional stops at Jolaibari and Belonia. West Tripura MP Biplab Kumar Deb expressed his gratitude to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for this decision, which he stated would greatly benefit students, traders, and the elderly.
Deb, the former chief minister, had earlier appealed to Vaishnaw to consider these stoppages, highlighting the struggles of passengers from Sabroom needing to board the express train for Kolkata. This move, introduced on an experimental basis, is anticipated to significantly enhance regional travel convenience and spur socio-economic development in the area.
In a separate development aimed at boosting connectivity across the Northeast, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) recently completed a historic trial run to Sairang, Aizawl in Mizoram. This milestone makes Mizoram the fourth northeastern state to achieve capital connectivity to the national railway network. Officials, including NFR’s CPRO Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, were present for the successful run, which is poised to be a game-changer for the region.
Meanwhile, under the ambitious Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, redevelopment works are in progress at 60 railway stations throughout the Northeast. Of these, 50 stations are located in Assam, underscoring the central government’s focus on modernising railway infrastructure across the region.