IANS | 17 Mar, 2023
Meghalaya has got the electric train for the first time after the
Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has commissioned the 22.82 km track of
Dudhnai-Mendipathar railway line, officials said on Friday.
Sabysaschi
De, CPRO of NFR said that the Railways has achieved a milestone by
commissioning Dudhnai-Mendipathar single-line section and
Abhayapuri-Pancharatna 34.59 track km double-line section on Wednesday.
The Central Organisation for Railway Electrification (CORE) has carried out the electrification works in these sections.
"Mendipathar
is the only railway station in Meghalaya which is in operation since
2014. After commissioning of electric traction, trains hauled by
electric locomotive will now be able to operate directly from
Mendipathar in Meghalaya which will increase the average speed," De
said.
He further claimed that more passenger and freight carrying
trains will be able to operate through these sections with full
sectional speeds.
Punctuality will also increase in this
section. Parcel and freight carrying trains hauled by electric
locomotives from other states will be able to reach Meghalaya directly.
According to Railway officers, electrification will significantly improve the mobility of trains in the Northeast.
In
addition to the reduction in pollution due to the shift from fossil
fuel to electricity, the efficiency of the Railway system in the region
will also improve.
"This would facilitate seamless traffic and
also save time of the trains moving to and from northeastern states
apart from savings in precious foreign exchange," the officer added.
