AIZAWL, May 26 - Mizoram will get its first broad gauge passenger train on Friday with the opening of service between Bairabi and Silchar. The broad gauge passenger train service will be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi through video conferencing, a Railway official said.
Hrangtawna, Railway consultant under Mizoram Government said that on May 24 and 25, a trial speed and inspection along the Bairabi-Silchar rail line was conducted by Railways Safety Commissioner SK Pathak. The condition of railway and bridge were inspected with the help of trolley and test was also done about the safety of moving train during a speed trial.
The Bairabi train will first connect Katakhal (84 km) in Cachar, Assam and then on to Silchar. The distance between Kathakhal and Silchar is about 28 km. The first broad gauge goods train in Mizoram had arrived on March 21 last at the Bairabi Railway Station from Guwahati carrying 2,600 metric tonnes of rice.
While the National Highway 54 linking Aizawl with the rest of the country via Silchar in Assam has been the only lifeline for Mizoram, operation of goods train and passenger trains from Assam to Bairabi will obviously provide an alternative.
