Railways to invest Rs 48,000 Cr in NE
Source: The Sangai Express / Courtesy - Economic Times

Guwahati, January 25 2018: The Railways Ministry is investing close to Rs 48,000 crore in North East India.

The Ministry has undertaken a final location survey for a strategic railway line that will go through Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.

The Chairman of the Indian Railway Board, Ashwani Lohani, who was in Guwahati on Wednesday to review the railway projects, said, "Railways is investing Rs 48,000 crore in various projects.

There is scope for improvement in several areas" .

Last year, railways expenditure amounted to Rs 7,100 crore; this year, it is expected to be Rs 5,500 crore.

"Final location survey for the track to Tawang is on; it will take two years for completion.

Once completed, it will go to the Union Cabinet seeking approval for its execution," said North East Frontier Railway (NFR) General Manager Chahatey Ram.

The manufacturing of coaches will be scaled up from April to address the shortage of coaches.

"We will be producing only modern coaches from April this year," Lohani said.

He added that work on electrification and double-tracking was underway.

Chahatey further said that a railway track to Imphal, in Manipur, would be built by 2020 .

"In Meghalaya we have not been able to make much headway because local councils are not ready to give land.

For train connectivity upto to Kohima, we have acquired land for 17 kms, and we are working to get [the remainder of the] requisite land" .

The blockade in Manipur prevented railways projects from proceeding there, lead to lower spending in the State, Chahatey Ram said.

"Doubling of track is sanctioned up to Lumding via Goalpara.

We are expecting to complete the same by 2020" .

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