In a historic move, Tripura State Electricity Corporation (TSECL) has completed 100% electrification work of the 271 km long railway track in Tripura.

Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath informed this today after inaugurating the 132 KV Transmission Lines and 132 KV Feeder Bays for Railway Traction Electrification in Tripura at Agartala Railway Station Complex.

The minister said that in 1964, the train first arrived in Dharmanagar under North District. From there it took 44 years to reach Agartala in 2008, and the train reached Sabroom in 2019.

“In these seven years, and after Prime Minister Narendra Modi took charge in 2014 as Prime Minister, the broad gauge conversion line was completed. It was meter gauge earlier and now broad gauge. The international rail link connection from Agartala to Akhaura of Bangladesh was completed in 2023. Present state and the central government know how to develop and ensure the progress of a state. The total broad gauge length is 271 km from Churaibari to Sabroom, and within just seven years, all work was done. Under the Amrit Bharat Scheme, work is underway at four stations including Agartala, Udaipur, Kumarghat, and Dharmanagar,” said the minister.

The Power Minister also said that now 19 trains are running from Tripura including Humsafar, Kanchanjunga, Agartala-Silchar, Tripurasundari, Ranikamalbati, Deoghar, Rajdhani, Jan Shatabdi, Agartala-Guwahati, Garib Rath, Mumbai Special and many more. Four DEMU trains are also running, carrying around 12,000 passengers.

“Why did such things never happen before seven years back? Now work for the double line is underway and the survey work is almost over. Everyone has to change with time, or else you will be left behind. Earlier trains used to run on coal, then diesel, and now on electricity because coal and diesel harm the environment. Out of 69,500 km of broad gauge lines in India, 68,600 km are electrified, which is over 98.80%. Today we have opened 271 km. We are ready. Whenever the Central Government and NFR want, they can run trains on electricity. From Churaibari to Sabroom the line is electrified. Without electricity nothing is possible, and solar power is essential. For that, we are setting up charging stations in 45 locations,” informed the minister.

During today’s program, MLA and Chief Whip Kalyani Roy, MLA Meena Rani Sarkar, MLA Abhishek Debroy, and NFR officials were present.