AGARTALA, April 9 (TIWN): Long wait of the landlocked state Tripura to have direct broad-gauge rail connectivity with rest of India might start by end of April. Just after a green signal from railway ministry and Tripura will begin with its BG train service officially. Agartala found place in the railway map of India in the year 2008 when a metre gauge line was extended from Kumarghat, also in Tripura, to Agartala. This gave the city 407 km direct metre-gauge rail connectivity with Lumding in central Assam. A daily express train ran between Lumding and Agartala. Lumding is an important railway junction of Assam and falls under Guwahati-Dibrugarh broad-gauge rail section.Since October last year, metre-gauge train services between Lumding and Karimganj stations (distance 203 km) were stopped for undertaking ‘Mega Block’ of Lumding-Badarpur-Silchar section. The Lumding-Agartala express train too stopped its operations and a passenger train plied between Karimganj and Agartala till its services too were withdrawn in September this year for broad conversion of Badarpur-Karimganj-Agartala section.

Though goods train services on Lumding-Silchar section had started in March this year, passenger train services are yet to resume on the newly converted track.

Agartala BG passenger service can kick off at any moment as it is just waiting for green signal railway ministry. It is to be mentioned here that the BG freight train is continuously arriving in the state with goods. However, the sources from the Railway authority said that the track is all set to start BG passengers train but nothing can be done before railway ministry gives a green nod. The source further claimed that there is no obstruction in running the freight train to Agartala railway station as regularly freight train is entering the state and the CRS has also given clearance to run the train.

Reportedly, The British took just eight years to lay the metre gauge. But due to politics and lacklustre attitude of Manik ruled state government, it took years to change the metre gauge into Broad-gauge. It is only because of the focus of the central government that today Tripura has made its entry to the railway map of the nation.

Due to the government's lacklustre attitude and the failure of elected representatives, it took years to witness the BG railways service to the state.

All this sped up work is only due to the good initiative of the central government.  The whistle of the broad gauge train will soon capture the air.