HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, March 9: Minister of State for Railways V Somanna on Sunday said that Assam would achieve cent per cent electrification of the entire railway network within 2025 itself reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
He said this while talking to the press during his visit to Guwahati Railway station on the final day of his three-day tour of Assam and the Northeast.
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He was accompanied by NFR general manager Chetan Kumar Shrivastava along with senior railway officials from the Headquarters and Division.
“Till 2014, there was no railway electrification in Assam. Today, we are on the verge of achieving 100% railway electrification within the year 2025. This will not only reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and enable us to achieve our goal of net zero carbon emissions, but also speed up railway operations,” Somanna said.
The minister said that in 2025-26, the Modi govt has allocated Rs 10,440 crore for development of railway infrastructure in Assam and Northeast.
Somanna also carried out a comprehensive inspection of Guwahati Railway Station’s infrastructure. Besides this, he also evaluated key facilities, including waiting halls, QR code ticketing counters and security measures.
He further visited the Executive Lounge and commended the railway officials for their efforts in keeping the station clean. Additionally, the minister also held discussion with the railway officials on further improvement of the station.
Speaking further, Somanna stated that a total of 50 stations are being redeveloped as Amrit Stations in Assam, and that the Dibrugarh Station is being redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme with an investment of Rs 26.27 crore.
“The works are progressing steadily with a tentative completion by October. Master planning for redevelopment of Kamakhya, Guwahati and Silchar stations is in progress,” he said.
Notably, the Guwahati Railway Station is being redeveloped with modern amenities under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS) at an estimated cost of Rs 181.09 crore.
The minister further revealed slew of developments recently been done to enhance railway line capacity within Assam. The developments included Doubling works of New Bongaigaon – Agthori via Rangiya and New Bongaigaon – Azara via Goalpara and from Lumding to Furkating (140 Km) is also under progress at cost of Rs 2123 crore.
“The work is expected to be completed by December 2027,” he said.
The minister further shed light on the new Saraighat Road cum Rail Bridge.
“The bridge will include double line and three lane road and the tender of which has been expected to be awarded by March. It is targeted to be completed by December 2029,” he added.
He informed that the third line between Kamakhya to Guwahati (5.74 Km) has also been sanctioned at a cost of Rs 395 crore.
“Drawings are under finalisation. The project is targeted to be completed by March 2027,” he said.
Commenting on the new line projects, Somanna said that NFR has also emphasised the importance of surveys for new line projects and infrastructure to enhance safety.
“A total of 1,189 route kilometers have been sanctioned for Kavach. Work is ongoing on 237 Rkm, while the rest is in the tendering process. The entire main line up to Dibrugarh will be covered with Kavach,” he added.
Moreover, Somanna did not fail to address the issue of wildlife safety, particularly regarding elephants being hit by speeding trains while crossing railway tracks. He shared with the press the introduction of the Intrusion Detection System (IDS), stating that trials had been successfully carried out over a 108 RKm stretch, including the Habaipur–Lumding and Kamakhya–Mirza sections in Assam.
“Work has already been sanctioned for a total of 413.3 RKm, including 146.4 km of designated elephant corridors, at a cost of Rs 108.74 crore. The tendering process is ongoing, and the work is expected to be completed by 2025,” he said.
Earlier, on March 8, the minister inspected the Dibrugarh Railway Station to review the progress of its redevelopment under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. He also visited the Bogibeel Rail-cum-Road Bridge, which connects the north and south banks of the Brahmaputra, enhancing connectivity between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
