Prez Murmu flags off first direct train between Nagaland & Meghalaya

October 15, 2022 41 Views No Comment

Maligaon, October 15 (MExN): This is the first direct passenger train service connecting Nagaland and Meghalaya was flagged off on Friday by President of India Droupadi Murmu.

In a bid to further improve connectivity and boost prosperity in the North-Eastern Region, the North East Frontier Railway (NFR) had extended the services of Guwahati-Lumding-Guwahati Express up to Shokhuvi in Nagaland in one end and up to Mendipathar in Meghalaya on the other.

According to a press release from the NFR, the President also laid the foundation stone of a ‘Modern Cargo-cum-Coaching Terminal’ at Agthori station virtually from Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra, Guwahati. Governor of Assam and Nagaland Prof Jagdish Mukhi, Chief Minister of Assam Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Minister of State in Petroleum and Natural Gas Rameswar Teli, and NFR General Manager Anshul Gupta were present along with other Assam state ministers and railway officials.

Speaking on the occasion, President Murmu thanked the Union Minister of Railways, Communications and Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw and his entire team for their sincere effort in further augmenting rail connectivity in the Northeast region, the NFR release stated.

According to the NFR, the train service will boost the interstate connectivity in the region fulfilling long pending demand of the people of both the states. It said that Mendipathar is the only railway station in Meghalaya having passenger train operations while Shokhuvi is the 2nd railway station in Nagaland to get train connectivity after a gap of more than 100 years.

It said that the first direct passenger train connecting Nagaland with Arunachal Pradesh was started on August 26, 2022 by NFR and this extended service of Guwahati – Lumding up to Shokhuvi will be the second passenger train connecting Shokhuvi in Nagaland.

Further, the new terminal at Agthori station will facilitate traders with regular supply of perishable and white goods for NE region. The commencement of these train service and cargo terminal is a major step towards improving connectivity and facilitating development of all the north-eastern states. This will lead to easy movement of passengers and material throughout India and bring more employment opportunities for the people of northeast, it maintained.

Source: https://morungexpress.com/prez-murmu-flags-off-first-direct-train-between-nagaland-meghalaya