What NF Railway gets

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, February 26: The Union Railway Budget for 2015-16, which was tabled in the Parliament today, provided proposals for considerable increase in allotment of funds for the projects already sanctioned in Assam and Northeastern region, an NF railway press release stated.

While presenting the budget, Railway minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu said that Indian Railways is committed to provide rail connectivity to all the Northeastern states. After bringing Aruchal Pradesh and Meghalaya on the railway map of India this year, Barak valley will also be linked by Broad Gauge by March this year. Work for connecting the remaining states of the region by rail is also progressing well.

Special emphasis has been laid for the doubling of tracks under NF Railway. Two new works have been sanctioned: Bongaigaon–Goalpara–Guwahati (176 km) at an estimated cost Rs. 1,832 crore and Digaru–Hojai (102km) at an estimated cost of Rs. 946 crore. As the Guwahati–Digaru and Lumding–Hojai patch doubling works had already been sanctioned earlier, the sanctioning of the Digaru–Hojai doubling will ensure double line for the complete Guwahati–Lumding section.

For the three-patch doubling works already sanctioned in the New Jalpaiguri–New Coochbehar – Samuktala Road section in North Bengal, Rs. 395 crore have been allotted this year.

The total fund allotment for doubling works in NF Railway is Rs. 509 crore, which is 26 per cent more than the allotment made last year.

A total outlay of Rs. 4,486 crore have been proposed for the already sanctioned works for construction of new lines under NF Railway, which is 9 per cent more than the funds allotted in 2014-15.

An outlay of Rs. 701 crore has been proposed for the Bogibeel Bridge project for 2015-16, which is 17 per cent more than the outlay for 2014-15.

A new Goods Termil Siding has been proposed for Azara at an estimated cost of Rs. 34 crore.

Considering safety requirements, significant emphasis has been laid on manning Unmanned Level Crossings (UMLCs) in the budget, and a total of 306 UMLCs in NF Railway are proposed to be manned.

One subway in lieu of level crossing has been proposed between Kokrajhar and Salakati in Assam.

To augment train maintence facilities and thereby eble running of more trains, one additiol pit line has been proposed for Dibrugarh.