Agartala railway station

23°47′34″N 91°16′42″E / 23.79278°N 91.27833°E / 23.79278; 91.27833Elevation25 m (82 ft)Owned byIndian RailwaysOperated byNortheast Frontier RailwaysLine(s)Lumding–Sabroom sectionPlatforms3Tracks15^[1]ConnectionsTaxi, Auto rickshaw, BusConstructionStructure typeStandard on GroundParking AvailableBicycle facilities AvailableAccessible YesOther informationStatusActiveStation codeAGTL Zone(s) Northeast Frontier Railway zone Division(s) LumdingHistoryOpened2008Rebuilt2016; 8 years ago (2016)ElectrifiedOngoingPassengers15K/Day ( high)

Route map

v t e Lumding–Sabroom section Legend km km Lumding–Dibrugarh section 0 0 Lumding Junction Guwahati–Lumding section 0 10 Manderdisa 20 Hatikhali 26 Dibolong 31 Dijaobra 38 Langting 47 Dihakho 54 Mupa 58 Kalachand 64 Maibang 70 Wadrengdisa 73 Daotuhaja 83 Phiding Heritage MG route Mahur 088 88 Mahur Migrendisa 093 93 Migrendisa Lower Halflong 111 Bagetar 119 98 New Haflong Halflong Hill 122 Jatinga 128 109 Jatinga Lampur Longrangajao 134 Mailongdisa 138 119 New Harangajao Harangajao 146 Ditokcherra 153 127 Ditokcherra Heritage MG route Tamu-Kalay railway (planned) 297 Tamu Myanmar India border 287 Moreh ↑ planned 182 Imphal 173 Phayeng 162 Haochong 155 Tupul 146 Noney 127 Khongsang 118 Thingu 103 H.J. Kambiron 96 Kaimai Road ↑ under construction 84 Vangaichungpao 73 Jiribam Manipur Assam border 69 Jirighat km 59 Kamranga Bandarkhal 132 53 Sribar Damchara 140 45 Ranigaon Katlichara 145 34 Moinarband Chandranathpur 149 27 New Silchar Bihara 153 29 Silchar Hilara 158 23 Arunachal Junction Sukritipur 163 20 Srikona Barak River 15 Salchapara Katakhal Junction 010 21 Algapur Panchgram 005 29 Hailakandi Badarpur Ghat 003 38 Monacherra 42 Amala Halt 46 Lalabazar Badarpur Junction 169 000 47 Lalaghat Rupasibari 172 53 Mohammedpur Bhanga 177 59 Katlicherra Chargola 183 66 Manipur Bagan New Karimganj 186 76 Jamira 86 Ramnathpur Karimganj Junction 190 Assam Mizoram border Longai 194 94 Bairabi Mahisasan 201 106 Hartoki closed MG section 115 Kwanpui India Bangladesh border 128 Khamrang Shahbajpur 208 129 Maulkhang Kulaura–Shahbajpur line 0 145 Sairang Suprakandi 194 ↓ planned Nilambazar 200 520 Hmawngbuchhuah Kayasthagram 203 India Myanmar border Baraigram Junction 207 Zochachhuah-Kyauktaw railway (planned) Kanaibazar 212 211 Eraligul Patharkandi 216 215 Phakhoagram Kalkalighat 220 221 Bazarghat Chandkhirabagan 223 226 Ratabari Tilbhum 231 229 Anipur Kathaltali Halt 235 236 Dullabcherra Assam Tripura border km 239 Churaibari 245 Nadiapur 250 Dharmanagar 253 Ramnagar Halt 261 Panisagar 273 Pencharthal 282 Kumarghat 293 Nalkata 303 Manu 306 Sindhu Kumar Para Akhaura–Kulaura line 0 318 Jawaharnagar Akhaura–Tongi line 0 323 Ambassa Akhaura Junction 17 341 Mungiakami Gangasagar 12 352 Teliamura 372 Jirania India Bangladesh border 385 Jogendranagar Akhaura–Chittagong line 0 4 Nischintapur Akhaura–Agartala line (under construction) 389 0 Agartala 396 Sekerkote 404 Bishalgarh 417 Bishramganj 424 Bagma 433 Udaipur 442 Garjee 455 Santir Bazar 465 Belonia 479 Jolaibari 487 Thailik Twisa 495 Manu Bazar 503 Sabroom km

Location
Agartala railway station Location within Tripura

Agartala Railway Station is located 5.5 km (3.4 mi) from Agartala in Tripura, India. It is the second capital city (after Guwahati, Assam) in northeast India to be connected to the country's railway map, moreover Agartala is the first state capital of independent India to be connected with a rail network.^[2] Before 2015 the 413-kilometre (257 mi) route was connected to Lumding with a metre-gauge track, but after the gauge conversion to broad gauge in 2016, the track is connected directly to Guwahati and the rest of India.

From Agartala an under-construction track has been on the way for a connection towards the extreme Southern end point of the state at Sabroom, which has been completed on 3 October 2019. A total of 21 constructed stations and few under-construction stations in the state, with Churaibari being the last one through the Northern side and Sabroom (functioning & completed) in the Southern side. The total length of track from the capital towards the North region's last station is approx. 153 km (95 mi), after which the territory of Assam starts. There are a lot of transportation modes available to reach the city from the station.

History

The northeastern state capital came on India's railmap with the advent of the railways in the subcontinent in 1853. The foundation stone of the 119 km (74-mile) Kumarghat–Agartala railway project was laid in 1996 by the former Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda, and during the laying of rail lines, provisions were kept for swiftly converting it to broad gauge. 40 years time was taken by the Government since then to connect Agartala by rail.

Construction

According to Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, the NFR had "spent Rs 900 crore ($190 million) to connect Agartala by rail by making three tunnels through the Longtharai Valley, Baramura and Atharamura Hills in Dhalai and West Tripura districts. The 1,962-metre (6,437 ft) Longtharai tunnel is the longest railway tunnel in eastern India."^[3] The architecture of the station resembles Ujjayanta Palace designed by Architect Nabarun Biswas of A B Consultants Private Limited of Kolkata.

Broad-gauge

Agartala was scheduled to get broad-gauge facility by March 2016. Works for conversion in BG from a small metre-gauge track from Lumding to Silchar in Assam was completed in March 2015 Freight services to Agartala had already resumed by then. It was 31 July 2016 when Suresh Prabhu the then Railway Minister of India inaugurated the Agartala–New Delhi ‘Tripura Sundari Express’,^[4] linking the broad gauge with the rest of India. On 28 October 2017 Rajdhani Express was inaugurated from Agartala to Anand Vihar Terminal.

Link with Bangladesh

Government of Bangladesh and Government of India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 21 May 2013 for linking Agartala and Akhaura railway stations to connect Bangladesh Railway with the northeastern states.^[5] The total length of the track will be 15.054 km, of which only 5 km falls on the Indian side with the remaining track in Bangladesh. The tracks would be laid in metre gauge on broad-gauge format so that it could be converted into broad gauge when necessary.^[6] The project is funded by India and is expected to cost around Rs 271 crore.

References

External links

• North East Frontier Railways Website