Lok Sabha Question No. 3676 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-01-02
Subject: Rail Connectivity to North Eastern Region
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: PREM DAS RAI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3676 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.01.2019

## RAIL CONNECTIVITY TO NORTH EASTERN REGION

3676. SHRI PREM DAS RAI:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the steps taken by the Government to improve rail connectivity in the North  Eastern  Region  (NER)  and  bring  down  disparities  within  the region in terms of connectivity;
- (b) whether all State capitals in NER will have rail connectivity by 2020 and if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor?

ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI RAJEN GOHAIN)

- (a) to (c):     A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (c) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3676 BY SHRI PREM DAS RAI TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA  ON  02.01.2019  REGARDING  RAIL  CONNECTIVITY  TO  NORTH EASTERN REGION

(a): In order to improve rail connectivity in the North Eastern Region, 15 New lines and 6 Doubling projects having a total length of 1,881 km have been taken up at a total cost of ` 70,066 crore which are in different stages of  planning/  sanction/  execution.  Completion  of  these  projects  will  bring down the disparities within the N.E. Region. Out of 15 new lines, Bogibeel Bridge over river Brahmaputra along with linking lines project (73 km) has been commissioned and inaugurated by Hon'ble Prime Minister on 25.12.2018.

(b) & (c):   All Northeast State Capitals (8 States namely Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Sikkim) are planned to be connected by broad gauge rail link.

State Capitals -Guwahati (Assam), Agartala (Tripura) and Itanagar (Arunachal  Pradesh)  -  have  already  been  connected  by  broad  gauge  rail network.

Harmuti - Naharlagun (21.75 km) new broad gauge line was commissioned in February, 2015.  (Naharlagun is at a distance of 10 km from Itanagar, the capital city of Arunachal Pradesh).

Kumarghat-Agartala (109 km) metre gauge section had been converted into broad gauge and commissioned in July, 2016.  Thus, the capital of Tripura has been connected by broad gauge rail network.

Contd……2

The works have been taken up to connect the remaining capitals - Shillong (Meghalaya),  Imphal  (Manipur),  Kohima  (Nagaland)  (project  is  upto  Zubza which is approx. 17 km from Kohima), Aizawl (Mizoram) (rail connectivity is upto  Sairang  which  is  approx.  18  km  from  Aizawl)  and  Gangtok  (Sikkim) (project is upto Rangpo which is 40 km from Gangtok).

## Details of capital connectivity projects are as under:

|   S. No. | State             | Capitals              | Project                                                                                    | Target Date Commissioning   |
|----------|-------------------|-----------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|
|        1 | Arunachal Pradesh | Naharlagun (Itanagar) | Harmuti - Naharlagun (Naharlagun is around 10 kilometers from Itanagar)                    | Commissioned                |
|        2 | Tripura           | Agartala              | Lumding - Silchar GC                                                                       | Commissioned                |
|        3 | Manipur           | Imphal                | Jiribam - Imphal                                                                           | 2020-21                     |
|        4 | Mizoram           | Aizawl                | Bhairabi - Sairang (Aizawl) (Sairang is approx. 18 km from Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram) | 2020-21                     |
|        5 | Nagaland          | Kohima                | Dimapur - Zubza (Zubza is approx. 17 km from Kohima)                                       | 2020-21                     |
|        6 | Meghalaya         | Shillong              | Byrnihat - Shillong                                                                        | Not Fixed*                  |
|        7 | Sikkim            | Gangtok               | Sivok - Rangpo (Rangpo is around 40 km short of Gangtok)                                   | June, 2021**                |

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