Lok Sabha Question No. 2940 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-17
Subject: Rail Connectivity in Tripura
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Smt. Kriti Devi Debbarman

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2940 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.12.2025

## RAIL CONNECTIVITY IN TRIPURA

## 2940.    SMT. KRITI DEVI DEBBARMAN:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the measures being taken to improve rail connectivity in Tripura a landlocked State which heavily depends on railways for goods and passenger transport;
- (b) the  details  of  the  step  being  taken  to  ensure  more  resilient  and uninterrupted  connectivity  in  light  of  frequent  disruptions  due  to floods and landslides; and
- (c) whether the Government considers actively pursuing the alternate arrangement  to  improve  rail  connectivity  between  Agartala  and Kolkata through Bangladesh particularly the Agartala-Akhaura Rail Line project and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (c): Tripura is already connected to Rail network of Indian Railways. To improve rail connectivity to Tripura following projects falling fully/partly in the State of Tripura have been completed:-

|   S.N. | Name of the Project                             |   Cost (₹ in crore) |
|--------|-------------------------------------------------|---------------------|
|      1 | Agartala - Sabroom New Line (112 Km)            |                3170 |
|      2 | Lumding - Badarpur - Kumarghat Gauge Conversion |                6500 |
|      3 | Kumarghat - Agartala New Line (107 Km)          |                1242 |

To  provide  additional  railway  infrastructure  in  the  State  of  Tripura,  Final Location  Surveys  (FLS)  for  Chandranathpur  -  Agartala  doubling  (244  Km) and Jirania-Bodhjung Nagar (14 Km) new line have also been sanctioned for preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR).

Kolkata  and  Agartala  are  already  connected  through  existing  railway network via New Farakka, New Jalpaiguri, Guwahati and Lumding.

To  provide  additional  connectivity  between  Agartala  and  Kolkata  through Bangladesh  and  encourage  trade  between  the  two  nations,  AgartalaAkhaura (12 km) new line project has been sanctioned. The alignment for Indian side of the project runs from Agartala Railway Station to Nischintpur (5.46  km),  which  has  been  commissioned.  Further  connectivity  to  Tripura via Bangladesh can improve after upgradation of track in Bangladesh.

## North Eastern Region

Budget  allocation  during  the  last  five  years  has  increased  significantly. Budget  allocation  for  infrastructure  projects  and  safety  works,  falling fully/partly in North Eastern Region (NER) including the state of Tripura is as under:-

| Period   | Outlay                        |
|----------|-------------------------------|
| 2009-14  | ₹2,122 crore/year             |
| 2025-26  | ₹10,440 crore (about 5 times) |

The details of commissioning/laying of new track falling fully/partly in North Eastern Region (NER) including the state of Tripura during 2009-14 and 20142025 is as under:-

| Period   | New track    | Average commissioning of new tracks   |
|----------|--------------|---------------------------------------|
|          | Commissioned |                                       |
| 2009-14  | 333 Km       | 66.6 Km/year                          |
| 2014-25  | 1,840 Km     | 167.27 Km/year (about 2.5 times)      |

As on 01.04.2025, 12 Railway projects (08 New Lines, 04 Doubling), of a total length of 777 Km, costing ₹69,342 crore falling fully/partly in North Eastern Region  (NER)  including  the  state  of  Tripura  have  been  sanctioned. The summary is as under:-

| Category               | No. of sanctioned projects   | Total Length (in Km)   | Length Commissioned upto   | Exp. upto Mar'25 (₹ in Cr.)   |
|------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------|----------------------------|-------------------------------|
|                        |                              |                        | Mar'25 (in Km)             |                               |
| New Lines              |                              | 448                    | 113                        |                               |
|                        | 08                           |                        |                            | 38,078                        |
|                        |                              |                        | 165                        |                               |
|                        |                              | 329                    |                            | 3,598                         |
| Doubling/Multitracking | 04                           |                        |                            |                               |
|                        |                              |                        | 278                        | 41,676                        |
|                        | 12                           | 777                    |                            |                               |
| Total                  |                              |                        |                            |                               |

Projects commissioned falling fully/partly in North East Region including the state of Tripura since 2014, are as under:

|   S.No. | Project                                                                       | Cost (₹ in crore)   |
|---------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------|
|       1 | Agartala - Sabroom new line (112 Km)                                          | 3,170               |
|       2 | Agartala - Akhaura new line (5 Km)                                            | 865                 |
|       3 | Rangiya - Murkongselek gauge conversion (510 Km)                              | 3,019               |
|       4 | Kumarghat - Agartala gauge conversion (109 Km)                                | 1,242               |
|       5 | Lumding - Badarpur - Silchar & Badarpur - Kumarghat gauge conversion (412 Km) | 6,500               |
|       6 | Lumding - Hojai doubling (45 Km)                                              | 410                 |
|       7 | Digaru - Hojai doubling (102 Km)                                              | 1,873               |
|       8 | New Bongaigaon - Agthori doubling (143 Km)                                    | 2,048               |
|       9 | Bogibeel Bridge (92 Km)                                                       | 5,820               |

Some  of  the  main  projects  falling  fully/partly  in  the  North  East  Region including the state of Tripura which have been taken up are as under:-

|   S.No. | Name of the project                | Cost (₹ In crore)   |
|---------|------------------------------------|---------------------|
|       1 | Jiribam - Imphal new line (111 Km) | 21,886              |

|   2 | Dimapur - Kohima new line (82 Km)                                  | 15,230   |
|-----|--------------------------------------------------------------------|----------|
|   3 | Murkongselek - Pasighat new line (27 Km)                           | 1,249    |
|   4 | New Bongaigaon - Goalpara - Guwahati (Kamakhaya) doubling (176 Km) | 4,962    |
|   5 | Saraighat Bridge doubling (7 Km)                                   | 1,474    |
|   6 | Kamkhya Guwahati 3 rd line (6 Km)                                  | 395      |
|   7 | Lumding - Furkating doubling (140 Km)                              | 2,124    |
|   8 | Furkating - Tinsukia doubling (194 Km)                             | 3,634    |

Further,  during    the  last  three  years  i.e.  2022-23,  2023-24,  2024-25  and  the current financial year 2025-26, 18 surveys (14 New Line, and 4 Doubling) of total length 1,804 Km falling fully/ partly in North East Region including the projects in  the State of Tripura have been sanctioned.

After  preparation  of  Detailed  Project  Report  (DPR),  sanctioning  of  project requires consultation with various stake-holders including State Governments and necessary approvals viz. appraisal of NITI Aayog, Ministry of  Finance  etc.  As  sanctioning  of  projects  is  a  continuous  and  dynamic process,  exact  timelines  depend  upon  appraisals  and  approvals  by  various stakeholders

Completion  of  Railway  project/s  depends  on  various  factors  which  include the following:

## -:6:-

- Land acquisition by State Government
- Forest clearance
- Shifting of infringing utilities
- Statutory clearances from various authorities
- Geological and topographical conditions of area
- Law and order situation in the area of project site
- Number of  working  months  in  a  year  for  particular  project  site etc.

Various steps taken by the Government for effective and speedy implementation of rail projects include:

-  Substantial increase in allocation of funds.
-  Delegation of powers at field level.
-  Close monitoring of progress of project at various levels.
-  Regular  follow  up  with  State  Governments  and  concerned authorities for expeditious land acquisition, forestry and Wildlife clearances and for resolving other issues pertaining to projects.

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