Travelling public rejoice at the resumption of train services

Special Correspondent

Silchar, July 14: Travelling public of Barak Valley and Tripura heaved a sigh of relief at the restoration of the track at Migrendisa on Silchar-Lumding BG route and the resumption of train services. It is to be recollected that for 58 days that the movement of passenger and goods trains were suspended due to severe landslips in the wake of heavy downpours in the hills. Though the track could be put on rail, 140 metre stretch near Migrendisa was totally washed out in the unprecedented landslides and the rolling down of hills.

NF Railway engineering department put in all its weight to restore the damaged portion of the track, but geophysical conditions created unfavourable situations. It became difficult to put the alignment right. In order to find a way out, NF Railway requisitioned the services of an expert of Geo Consultancy, New Delhi, Varun Adhikari. It was at his advice that a new diversion of 300 metre was put up. After run of goods trains for 5 days through the diversion, passenger trains started chugging from today.

According to Biplab Das, station superintendent of Silchar, all the passenger trains would run according to the scheduled timing. The daily Silchar-Guwahati and Guwahati-Silchar fast passenger, thrice a week Kanchenjenga Express to Sealdah and once a week Purvottar Sampark Kranti Express to New Delhi would run as usual. Besides, Silchar-Agartala and Silchar-Karimganj daily services have been operating normally. With the resumption of train services, rush of passengers has been unprecedented. There is enough reason for passengers to prefer journey by train.

 In fact, there has been a sense of panic among the people of Barak Valley and Tripura to travel by highway to Guwahati and beyond due to frequent fatal accidents on the most dangerous stretch of Sopur in East Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya. Silchar-Haflong road is in totally deplorable condition, East-West Corridor still faces uncertainty despite change of guards at Dispur. The people of Tripura in particular avoid the Churaibari-Badarpur stretch of NH 6 as the highway is almost non-existent. Even today, nearly a hundred vehicles, mostly goods laden trucks, are stranded from the entry point of Tripura to Patharkandi in Karimganj district.

 Along with the travelling public, NF Railway officials, engineering staff and all those engaged in meeting the challenges of ture in Migrendisa are in joyous mood to ensure that the movement of trains will no more be affected. It was on Tuesday that the NF Railway Operation gave green sigl for the movement of passenger trains through the critical stretch. In the more than a century long history of this Silchar-Lumding MG track made by the British, Migrendisa stretch has never created any problem. The most trouble-spots were identified between Harangajao and Jatinga on which a diversion of 31 km has been laid for the BG track.