Agartala-Karimganj MEMU set to start within 10 days, boosting Tripura-Assam link

Northeast Frontier Railway is set to launch a MEMU service between Agartala and Karimganj within 10 days. The link is expected to improve Tripura-Assam connectivity while advancing cleaner rail travel.

In Short

• The 12-coach train can carry around 4,000 passengers comfortably each trip
• Service is expected to run six days a week initially
• Railways says Vande Bharat for Agartala needs sleeper rakes first

The Northeast Frontier Railway will start a Mainline Electric Multiple Unit, or MEMU, service between Agartala and Karimganj within the next week to 10 days, a senior railway official said on Friday. The service is in the commissioning stage and is expected to improve connectivity between Tripura and Assam while reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

NFR general manager Chetan Kumar Srivastava also said the service is expected to run six days a week with 12 modern coaches that can carry around 4,000 passengers. He added that Vande Bharat services to Agartala may take about a year as the route would require sleeper versions, while plans are also being made for a double line between Badarpur and Agartala and for the redevelopment of Agartala railway station.

'The Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) train service is under commissioning between Agartala and Karimganj and, if everything goes as planned, it will be introduced within the next week or 10 days,' Srivastava told reporters. He said the service would be introduced in the Lumding division of the NFR and would connect Tripura and Assam.

'The train will have 12 modern coaches with a capacity to carry around 4,000 passengers. Travellers will experience greater comfort during the journey,' he said.

On the possibility of extending Vande Bharat services to Agartala, Srivastava said the introduction of the premium train would depend on the availability of Vande Bharat sleeper rakes. 'At present, around 100 Vande Bharat trains are operating in the country, and most of them cover shorter distances. For Agartala, we need Vande Bharat sleeper trains because of the long route. We hope the service can be extended here once sleeper versions become available. It may take about a year,' he said.

Srivastava said the NFR is also planning to lay a double rail line between Badarpur and Agartala in view of growing passenger traffic. 'We have to plan for the next 15 to 20 years to meet future demand. Agartala is expanding rapidly and passenger traffic is expected to increase. Therefore, we are planning a double line between Badarpur and Agartala,' he said.

The NFR general manager, who arrived on Thursday to review railway projects, said Agartala railway station is undergoing major redevelopment under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. 'An amount of Rs 48 crore has been sanctioned for the construction of a new three-storey building at Agartala railway station. Another building will be constructed later as part of the station's modernisation,' he said. He added that more platforms would also be built at the station, which currently has three platforms. Earlier in the day, he inaugurated a lift at the station to improve passenger amenities.

In sum, the NFR is preparing to launch a new MEMU link between Agartala and Karimganj, while also planning longer-term upgrades including a possible Vande Bharat sleeper service, a double rail line between Badarpur and Agartala, and the redevelopment of Agartala station.

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