Double line between Changsari and Agthori stations
Maligaon, December 27 (MExN): The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS)/NF circle Suvomoy Mitra has completed the statutory inspection of the newly laid double line between Changsari & Agthori stations on December 26.
Work of the Changsari-Agthori section is going on as part of the New Bongaigaon-Agthori via Rangiya 142.97 km doubling project, Sabyasachi De, Chief Public Relations Officer, NFR stated in a press release.
The project includes 75 major bridges, 38 minor bridges and construction of 19 new station buildings. The stretch between Changsari to Agthori is of 7.48 km. The section includes construction of 11 minor bridges. The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS)/NF circle also inspected the bridges, railway track fittings, P-way assets, electronic inter-locking, relay rooms, cabin, level crossings and stations in the section.
It is to be mentioned here that with the laying of double line, movement of trains can be done in both directions without stop-over crossings at stations which will increase the punctuality of trains. More trains can be run with enhanced speed due to reduced congestion.
Out of the total 142.97 km of the New Bongaigaon-Agthori via Rangiya doubling project, 70.91 km has already been commissioned. Earlier 17.53 km section between New Bongaigaon to Bijni, 26.91 km section between Pathsala to Nalbariand 18.99 km section between Bijni to Sorbhog was commissioned on August 30, 2022, May 24 and June 13, 2023 respectively. Also 7.48 km between Changsari to Agthori was commissioned on December 26. On completion of this entire section, the northeast connectivity will be boosted significantly.
Also, a 3-meter-wide new Foot Over Bridges and New Passenger Platform Sheds have been commissioned at both Changsari and Agthori stations for the benefit of passengers.
Container transportation for Nepal
The first export cargo container train containing sponge iron will be placed at Indian Custom Yard Railway station of Indian Custom Yard (ICY)-Nepal Custom Yard section under Katihar division of NF Railway on December 27.
The consignment was loaded from a private siding of M/S TATA Sponge Iron Ltd located at Murga Mahadev Road under Chakradharpur division of South Eastern Railway. This consignment will be transported to M/S Pashupati Iron and Steel Pvt Ltd., Birat Nagar (Nepal) by Container Corporation of India Ltd. (CONCOR). It will move from Indian Custom Yard Railway station to Nepal thorough trucks by clearing the custom’s Integrated Check Post at Jogbani.
It may be noted here that, earlier on June 1, 2023, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and his Nepali counterpart His Excellency Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ together flagged off an Indian Railway cargo train from Bathnaha in Bihar to Nepal Custom Yard. This was a part of the Jogbani-Biratnagar international cross-border rail link project which provides rail access to the landlocked country of Nepal.
This connectivity will also allow Nepal to get direct access to sea ports of India through railways as a result of which the logistic cost will come down to a great extent for the country. Previously, transportation of materials to Nepal was done mainly through roadways.
Newly constructed railway ROB at Jagiroad
The new Road Over Bridge (ROB) at Jagiroad station constructed by Northeast Frontier Railway was opened for the use of common public on December 24. The ROB was inaugurated by Chief Minister of Assam Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma in presence of Local MLA and other dignitaries.
The newly constructed ROB will replace Level crossing gate no ST-27 at Jagiroad station yard. The necessity for construction of a ROB in lieu of Level Crossing gate ST-27 arisen due to road traffic congestion as well as shunting operations of train movement. The gate was a very busy gate with TVU of 669754. With the completion of the Digaru-Hojai doubling works, movement of trains also increased; leading to frequent closure of the gate. Accordingly, to ensure safety of both rail as well as road users this ROB (No. 85A) was constructed by Northeast Frontier Railway at a total cost of Rs 85.96 crore.
Total length of the ROB is 344 meters having a Bow String Arch Steel Girder of 74 meters length. The height of the Bow String Arch Steel Girder is 12.85 meters and weight is 730 MT. This new ROB has newly constructed 3 (three) lane road of 11 meters width connecting NH 24 &NH 715A with viaducts on both sides. Two stair cases on either side of the Bow String Girder have been provided for the pedestrians to cross the railway track with safety.
New Bongaigaon achieves ‘Eat Right Station’ certification
The New Bongaigaon Railway Station under Rangiya division of NF Railway has been awarded ‘Eat Right Station’ certification by FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) in recognition of providing high-quality, nutritious food to passengers. The station has been able to qualify the guidelines established by FSSAI and becomes the seventh railway station in NF Railway to get this status. This certification has been awarded for the period from December 13 to December 12, 2025.
Further, in its endeavour to ensure safe and hygienic food to passengers, NF Railway has planned to take up more stations in future to qualify as ‘Eat Right Station’ by FSSAI for which necessary efforts are being carried out. Previously, Guwahati, Harishchandrapur, Lumding, Rangiya, Mariani and Samsi Railway Stations of NF Railway have been awarded ‘Eat Right Station’ certification by FSSAI.
Periodicity extension of Kolkata bound three pair trains
In order to facilitate the requirements of passengers, it has been decided to continue the service of Kolkata bound three pair trains running from NF Railway. All these trains will run upto March 2024 as per the existing timings, stoppages and composition for another 13 trips in both directions.
Accordingly, train No. 02502 (Agartala-Kolkata) Special will run on every Wednesday from Agartala upto March 27, 2024. In return direction, train No.02501 (Kolkata-Agartala) Special will run on every Sunday from Kolkata upto March 31, 2024 as per existing timings, stoppages.
Train No. 05639 (Silchar-Kolkata) Special will run on every Thursday from Silcharup to March 28, 2024. In return direction, train No. 05640 (Kolkata-Silchar) Special will run on every Friday from Kolkata upto March 29, 2024 as per existing timings, stoppages.
Train No. 02518 (Guwahati-Kolkata) Special will run on every Saturday from Guwahati upto March 30, 2024. In return direction, train No. 02517 (Kolkata-Guwahati) Special will run on every Thursday from Kolkata upto March 28, 2024 as per existing timings, stoppages.
The details of stoppages and timings of these trains are available at IRCTC website and are also being notified in various newspaper and social media platforms of NF Railway. Passengers are requested to verify the details before undertaking their journey.
