Balipara-Bhalukpong rail line by Jan 2015
STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI, May 24 – The Northeast Frontier Railway (Construction) has said that the branch line from Balipara to Bhalukpong will be ready by January 2015.
“In this project, there are 652 minor bridges, 211 major bridges, 10 road overbridges, eight road underbridges and 39 station buildings. An additional 57.72 hectare of land has been acquired...
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and 86.46 lakh cubic metres of earthwork done to complete the formations and diversions,” said a senior NFR (Construction) official.
“The project is going on in full swing to complete all works pertaining to passenger amenities and safety of train so that the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), NF Circle, Kolkata, is invited for inspection in January 2015,” the official added.
He said that the last phase of gauge conversion from North Lakhimpur to Murkongselek (154 km) of the Rangiya-Murkongselek gauge conversion project (511.88 km) has been completed within the targeted period and engine rolling was done on March 29 from North Lakhimpur to Gogamukh and from Gogamukh to Murkongselek on March 30.
The Rangiya-Murkongselek gauge conversion project,
including branch lines, was included in the Budget 2003-04 and declared as a National Project. Work for this project was done in five phases.
“The phases one and two from Rangiya to Rangapara North and Tezpur (Dekargaon) have already been completed and commissioned on January 4. Work for phases three to five from Rangapara North to North Lakhimpur and North Lakhimpur to Murkongselek was completed and train engine rolled in the section in March 2013 and March 2014, respectively,” he said.
He said that with the completion of this entire project, including the branch line from Balipara to Bhalukpong, the need for broad gauge rail connectivity to this part of North East will be fulfilled.