GUWAHATI: The Northeast Frontier (NF) Railway is expected to conduct trial runs for electrical locomotives in Assam by August. With this initiative, NF Railway will come closer to fulfilling a long-standing demand of running trains with electric traction to and from Guwahati. Train operations with electric traction will provide seamless railway connectivity of Northeastern states with the rest of India.
NF Railway has successfully completed the electrification of 334 km of tracks between Raninagar Jalpaiguri and Guwahati in 2020-21. Balance works of this section are at various stages of execution and are expected to be completed by this year. Railway electrification works between Srirampur Assam – New Bongaigaon and Kamakhya – Guwahati sections are reportedly at an advanced stage of completion.
Railway electrification work at New Bongaigaon – Jogighopa has been completed, although the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) inspection of the section is still awaited. Similarly, the Kolaigram – Gumanihat (2nd line) section is targeted to be completed by August, 2021. New Jalpaiguri – Siliguri and New Guwahati – Digaru – Jagiroad sections are to be completed by September, and between Jogighopa – Dudhnoi, Dudhnoi – Kamakhya, Jagiroad – Hojai, Chaparmukh – Silghat Town and Senchoa – Mairabari, the work is expected to be completed by December 2021.
Works for railway electrification in Hojai – Lumding and Katihar – Purnia sections have also commenced and are in various stages of execution. The work in these sections is expected to be completed by March 2022.