UDAIPUR, March 29 (TIWN): The much awaited first commercial freight train arrived in Udaipur from Assam amid rousing welcome, ending an old demand for broad gauge railway connectivity between Tripura and the rest of India.

If such goods trains are operated on a regular basis by the NFR, the availability of foodgrains, transport fuels, essentials and other commodities would increase and prices would be reasonable.

Railway connectivity is crucial for land-locked Tripura. We expect that the NFR would soon run regular passenger trains between Tripura and the rest of India as the broad gauge railway track is ready to use.

The Lumding-Silchar line is the lifeline for southern Assam, known as Barak Valley, and the mountainous states of Tripura, Manipur and Mizoram. These states are heavily dependent on this railway line for supply of foodgrain, fertilisers, petroleum products, construction materials and other commodities.

This railway connectivity is the lifeline for millions in Tripura, western Manipur and Mizoram besides southern Assam, comprising four important districts.

In the second phase, the 227-km Badarpur-Agartala gauge conversion was undertaken. It was scheduled to be completed in March but was completed three months earlier.

With the completion of gauge conversion work right up to Agartala, the Tripura capital was connected with the country's railway network through Guwahati with a distance of about 600 km.