A Correspondent
DIBRUGARH: The Northeast Frontier Railway, Tinsukia Division, on Tuesday held a meeting with Dibrugarh citizens to gather public opinions on the continuation or closure of operations at the historic Dibrugarh Town (DBRT) Railway Station.
The discussion centred on data provided by the railway authorities, which highlighted operational challenges and the growing demand for train services in the region. Until 2009, the Dibrugarh Town (DBRT) station handled 10 trains per day.
Operations at the new Dibrugarh (DBRG) station, Banipur, began in 2009, initially accommodating 4 trains per day alongside the 10 trains at DBRT.
Following railway electrification in 2022, most trains were shifted to Dibrugarh Railway Station in Banipur. Currently, DBRG handles 36 trains/day, which exceeds its safe operational capacity of 16 trains in a day. The Vande Bharat Express, Dibrugarh-Gaya Express, and Dibrugarh-Ayodhya Express will soon be introduced from Dibrugarh.
Extensions and resumptions include the Brahmaputra Mail, Sampark Kranti Express, Dibrugarh-Guwahati Shatabdi, and others.
Surprisingly, the data revealed that while the 141-year-old Dibrugarh town railway station historically handled 10 trains daily, the newly built DBRG station, with 18 tracks, 4 platforms, and modern infrastructure capable of accommodating 26-coach trains, has a capacity of only 16 trains daily.
This discrepancy has raised questions among the public about the efficient utilisation of DBRG station and the possible motivations behind running DBRT station parallelly.
Citizens voiced concerns over what they believe could be a deliberate effort to keep DBRT operational, despite the extensive budget and infrastructure dedicated to the DBRG station. The public is demanding transparency and clarity regarding the railway’s long-term plans for both stations.
The outcome of the meeting and the railway’s decision on the future of DBRT station remain awaited.
On the other hand, a section of people wanted the Dibrugarh railway station to be completely shut down and converted into a railway museum and parking place.
The Dibrugarh town railway station was built in 1882 and is the oldest station in the northeast region. The tracks pass through the town and cause perennial traffic jams on the roads along the railway route, resulting in severe inconvenience to commuters, including students and patients.
Due to the railway track at KC Gogoi Path, huge traffic jams can be witnessed throughout the day since several educational institutions are located beside the road, viz. Sampoorna Kendra Vidyalaya, St Mary’s School, Little Flower School, MDKG Girls’ College, DHSK College, as well as the Dibrugarh Catholic Church and the SBI Gabharupather branch.
In the year 2022, Dibrugarh MLA Prasanta Phukan wrote a letter to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to permanently shut down the old Dibrugarh town railway station (DBRT) and divert all trains to the new Dibrugarh railway station (DBRG).
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