Staff Reporter
Guwahati: Indian Railways did not have Assam’s Darrang district on its map and is now planning to rectify this omission by constructing a new railway track passing through the district.
According to the Railway Ministry, the Final Location Survey (FLS) of the Agthori (Guwahati) to Dekargaon (Tezpur) New Line Project (155 km) and the Tezpur-Silghat New Line Project (25 km), which pass through Darrang and Sonitpur districts, have been sanctioned, and survey work has been taken up.
Silghat in the Nagaon district was one of the busiest railway stations, as the river ghat there was commercially significant several decades ago. Once the Tezpur-Silghat New Line Project is completed, the area is expected to be restored to its former glory.
In the past 4 financial years, 14 surveys (9 new lines & 5 doubling of tracks) of a total length of 1,869 km, falling fully or partly in the state of Assam, have been sanctioned.
As of April 1, 2024, 18 railway projects (13 new lines and 05 doubling), with a total length of 1,368 km and costing Rs 74,972 crore, falling fully or partly in the Northeast region, including the state of Assam, are at various stages of planning and implementation, out of which tracks with a length of 313 km have been commissioned and an expenditure of Rs 40,549 crore has been incurred up to March 2024.
Some of the ongoing projects in Assam are the Murkonselek-Pasighat new line with a length of 26.15 km; the Tetelia-Byrnihat new line of 21.50 km length; the New Bongaigaon-Goalpara-Kamakhya doubling of 176 km length; the Lumding-Furkating doubling (140 km); and the Kamakhya-Guwahati 3rd line with a length of 5.44 km.
It is worth noting that the budget allocation for infrastructure projects and other works falling fully or partly in the Northeast Region, including the state of Assam, is Rs 10,440 crore for FY 2025-26.
Also read: Budget has put Railways on Expansion Track: Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw
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