AGARTALA, September 8 (TIWN):Prime Minster Narendra Modi inquired about the rail expansion work in the state, informed chief secretary Yaspal Singh. Speaking to reporters at civil secretariat on Monday , Singh said on June last through video conferencing, prime minister wanted to know about the progress of work of BG conversion and expansion of rail lines to Sabroom.In video conference, the railway official informed by March, 2016 broad gauge conversion from Badar pur to Agartala and by March, 2017 rail way expansion to Sabroom will be completed, stated Singh. The state would remain out of the rail network for more than six months as the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) would undertake gauge conversion work from September 20. Due to the 'Mega Block' for conversion of railway line from meter gauge to broad gauge, running of both passenger and goods trains in between Badarpur (southern Assam) and Agartala section would be stopped from September 20. In order to facilitate faster conversion of the existing meter gauge track to broad gauge track, 'Mega Block' would be taken up in the Badarpur - Kumarghat - Agartala section (excluding Badarpur railway station).

After country's independence, Agartala came up on the country's rail map in 2008.The 115-year-old railway lines necessitated to convert from meter gauge to broad gauge to bring them in sync with those in the rest of the country.

In the first phase, the NFR had completed the 220 km Lumding-Silchar gauge conversion works earlier this year and in the second phase, 217 km long Badarpur-Agartala section would be done.

The foundation of the much-delayed gauge conversion project -- Lumding to Silchar and Silchar to Agartala -- was laid by the then Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda at Silchar in 1996.

The railways have faced severe criticism for the huge delay in completing the Rs. 5,185-crore project that is considered to be a lifeline for southern Assam, Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur.