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BG rail service elates people in Dhemaji

By Prafulla Kaman

JONAI, Aug 10 - The railway connectivity got a boost in the region bordering Arunachal Pradesh on Monday with the launch of two maiden broad gauge (BG) passenger trains to Murkongselek, the easternmost railway station on the north bank of the Brahmaputra river.

The people of Murkongselek (Jonai), Silapathar and Dhemaji, besides the people of the neighbouring state of Arunachal Pradesh are delighted as the train services to Murkongselek has resumed after a gap of four years, but on a broadened track, with the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) introducing the Guwahati-Murkongselek Intercity Express and the Murkongselek-Dekargaon Passenger trains on the recently converted Rangiya-Murkongselek BG route.

Union Minister of Railway Suresh Prabhu today flagged off the 15613/15614 Guwahati-Murgongselek Intercity Express through remote from New Delhi at 1:30 pm. He also flagged off the 55719/55720 Dekargaon-Bhalukpong Passenger train at the same time.

Lakhimpur MP and Union Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs, Sarbananda Sonowal, who attended a gorgeous function at the Murkongselek station, later inaugurated the operation of the 55813/55814 Murkongselek-Dekargaon Passenger train, which left the station at around 2 pm.

The Murkongselek railway station wore a festive look today as thousands of people from nearby areas gathered there to celebrate the resumption of the train service. NFR General Manager RS Virdi along with other senior railway officials along with Tezpur MP Ram Prasad Sharma and Pasighat East MLA Kaling Moyong also attended the function.

Sonowal, in his address, said that operation of the BG railway linking Guwahati and other capitals was a long pending public demand, which was fulfilled today. He said the Central government was planning to introduce more trains along the route linking the region with the national capital.

Referring to complaints of public inconvenience with the timing of rail movement, Sonowal said he has taken up the issue with the Union Railway Minister, requesting him to redress the grievances. �I will hold talks with the NFR higher-up for changing the train timings as sought by the people,� he said.

The last phase of the gauge conversion work along the 155-km stretch between North Lakhimpur and Murkongselek was completed early this year. Later, top railway officials in May this year conducted the high-speed trial run on the route.

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