NEWS DESK: In the midst of the lockdown, the electrification of the railway lines in Assam is in full swing. If everything goes according to plan, trains will be able to run from Guwahati station using electric locomotives by the end of next year. The North-East Frontier Railway informed this good news.
It is to be noted that the Brahmaputra Express train plying from Assam runs from New Jalpaiguri station using electric locomotives. Other high-speed trains from Assam will be powered by an electric locomotive from New Jalpaiguri in a few days.
According to Nripen Bhattacharya, Public Relations Officer, North-East Frontier Railway, to ensure that trains can be run from Guwahati Railway Station using electric locomotives by the end of next year, electrification of railway lines are going on in full swing even in the lockdown.
Mr.Bhattacharya also stated that the electrification of the railway lines is being carried out in several phases. Electrification from New Bongaigaon to Barpeta Road is almost near completion. To complete the remaining work, the electrification of railway lines is underway from New Bongaigaon to Guwahati and Guwahati to Lumding. After the completion of the work in Lumding, the electrification of the railway lines to Upper Assam and Tripura will begin.
Meanwhile, electrification work has been completed between Katihar-New Jalpaiguri and Malda-New Jalpaiguri under the North-East Frontier Railway. Work is underway between Coochbehar and New Bongaigaon and is near completion. Most of the work between New Bongaigaon and Barpeta Road has also been completed. Electrification work has now started for Guwahati and from Guwahati to Lumding.
If the electrification work to Guwahati is completed by the mid of next year, then, it will be possible to run trains from Guwahati station using electric locomotives by the end of the year. Once the trains start running with an electric connection, the time it takes for a train to reach its destination will be greatly reduced. Getting to a destination in less time will also reduce the cost of operating the trains.
Accordingly, railway service will be pollution-free. Electrification of railway lines has already been completed in some of the leading states of the country.