New Delhi, Oct 29: The first passenger train in the northeast to run entirely on electric traction arrived at Kamakhya station of Guwahati on Thursday, marking an important step towards green transportation.
Till now, there was no direct electric traction train to any of the northeastern states. Trains from Delhi or elsewhere needed to change the engine at Cooch Behar station in West Bengal, officials said.
"The train -- 05956 Delhi Kamakhya (Brahmaputra) Mail Special -- leaving the national capital reached Kamakhya station of Guwahati today at 13:30 hours covering more than 2,000 km on electric traction. Similarly, in the return direction, the train -- 05955 Kamakhya Delhi (Brahmaputra) Mail Special -- left for Delhi from Kamakhya station at 14:30 hours today through electric traction.
"The train became the first mail/express train to run on electric traction up to Kamakhya station of Guwahati after successful operation of a parcel train on electric traction just a day before," according to a railway statement.
On October 21, 2021, the Northeast Frontier Railway ran its first parcel train on electric traction up to Kamakhya station.
"Up till now, trains with electric locomotives were coming from Katihar and Malda up to New Coochbehar, where the electric loco was being detached from the train and diesel locomotive was being attached for its onward journey.
"Now with the completion of Railway electrification works and commissioning of the section up to Kamakhya, these trains will come directly up to Kamakhya without change of traction. As such, there will be direct connectivity from New Delhi to Kamakhya on Electric Traction without change of locomotive en route," the statement said.
The inherent benefits of electric traction include higher speed potential enabling faster trains, saving of time and energy, increase energy efficiency with a higher power to weight ratio, regenerative braking, higher hauling capacity with high horsepower locomotives, improve reliability and line capacity, pollution-free mode of transportation, cost-effective due to lesser maintenance and operating cost.
