Agartala, Sept 19 (TIWN):The 05263 Agartala – Karimganj Passenger Special, and the 05264 Karimganj – Agartala Passenger Special will stop plying from 20 September ( Sunday).The mega-block will be taken up on the Badarpur – Kumarghat – Agartala rail section from 1 October and the block will continue until 31 March next year. The target is to complete the 222 km gauge conversion work in these six months.The move will, for the time being, cut off the train link to Tripura from the rest of India as Karimganj route happens to be the only rail connection that Tripura has at present.As a result of this,. The train services on Karimganj-Bardarpur-Silchar route are already under suspension for over six months now for a similar gauge conversion work.

Meanwhile, the NF railway is hopeful of converting the narrow gauge railway track from Badarpur in Assam to Agartala into broad gauge before March next year, a senior railway official said today.The mega block would be imposed on the Badarpur-Agartala railway track from October 1 for conversion works and the entire work would be completed much before the stipulated March 2016 deadline."We would be able to convert around 227 km from Badarpur to Agartala by March 31, 2016. It would be possible because narrow gauge track was laid in a big portion of the track in Broad Gauge format. Besides, other works like construction of railway stations, staff quarters or creation of water bodies have already been completed," official said said.He said, during the period of the mega block, only tracks would be laid and finished before March 31