Guwahati: Indian Railways plans to build railroad tracks in Arunachal Pradesh that extend all the way to the China border, linking the neighbouring nation of Bhutan as well to improve the country’s rail infrastructure in the northeast.
In order to connect the border regions in the shortest amount of time, Indian Railways will build railway lines from Bhalukpong to Tawang along the China border and from Silapathar to Along via Bame. Once completed, these lines will be of strategic importance.
The final location survey for these new railway projects in Arunachal Pradesh is under underway, according to the Railway Ministry.
According to Sabyasachi De, Northeast Frontier Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO),the NF Railway has plans to build a few more new railway projects in the northeastern region, including Arunachal Pradesh.
“We have planned to construct a new railway line from Bhalukpong to Tawang, Silapathar to Along via Bame and extend the railway line from Murkongselek to Pasighat,” Sabyasachi De said.
De added that in addition to these, it has plans to build a second railway line from Lanka to Chandranathpur in Assam, which will serve as a bypass in the district’s hilly Dima Hasao.
Notably, parts of the railway tracks in Dima Hasao that were uprooted by floods and landslides earlier this year have been repaired urgently and are now completely operational.
Additionally, railways intend to link neighbouring Bhutan.
“We have planned to connect Bhutan through railway and the new railway line will be from Kokrajhar (in Assam) to Gelephu in Bhutan. This new railway line will be around 58 km long,” Sabyasachi De said.
The NF Railway CPRO stated that numerous railway projects are currently being built in the area, with a total estimated cost of approximately Rs 1.15 lakh crore. The scope of these projects includes new lines, doubling, station development, and electrification.
“The capital connectivity projects are going on in full swing and we are going to connect the capitals of Mizoram and Manipur. In the coming one year, we might get connected to the capitals of Nagaland and Sikkim. Two main lines to Guwahati that is New Bongaigaon-Rangia-Kamakhya, and New Bongaigaon-Goalpara-Kamakhya are getting double. We have also done electrification, we are going beyond Guwahati now,” De said.
“We have also planned of doubling the line from Lumding to Tinsukia. We have planned to electrify the whole railway network in the NF Railway by the end of next year. The NF Railway is developing a few stations as world-class stations. Kamakhya, New Jalpaiguri, Agartala, Silchar, and New Tinsukia stations will get developed as world-class stations. The state capital stations will also to be developed as world-class stations and we will try to reflect the culture and history of that place in these stations,” the CPRO of NF Railway said.
The biggest number of elephant corridors are found in the northeast region of NF Railway, according to a representative for the business. NF Railway has created a system named “Intrusion Detection System” to find elephants in the railroad tracks.
“The NF Railway is fist of introducing Intrusion Detection System to detect animals in the railway lines. It is an artificial intelligence based optical fiber system which has a capability of detecting elephants whenever it is approaching the railway tracks,” De explained.
“Not only elephants, when other animals approach the railway tracks, the alert message will go to the loco pilot which will able to stop the train on time. We have completed the pilot project in Lumding-Hawaipur section and in Alipurduar division. We will be able to get the system in all the elephant corridors.”