Survey For Construction Of New Bridge Over Brahmaputra Near-Complete, Says MoS Railways Rajen Gohain

Minister of State of Railways, Rajen Gohain, has said the survey for the construction of a new bridge over the Brahmaputra near Assam’s Nagaon district, is nearing completion, reports Live Mint.

Once the survey for the new bridge is done, it could be considered for inclusion in the budget, said Rajen.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on 25 December inaugurated the country’s longest railroad bridge at Bogibeel near Dibrugarh in Assam over the Brahmaputra.

Regular services of the Silghat-Kolkata Express train will begin from Kolkata, from 7 January.

The Silghat-Kolkata Express will start from Silghat at 12.30 pm on Tuesdays and reach Kolkata at 12.50 pm the next day.

The train will halt at Jakhalabandha, Amoni, Nowgong, Senchoa, Chaparmukh, Jagiroad, Guwahati, Kamakhya, Goalpara Town, New Bongaigaon, Fakiragram, New Alipurduar, New Coochbehar, New Jalpaiguri, Malda Town, Rampurhat, Bolpur and Barddhaman during its journey.

"This will ensure the transformation of middle Assam areas through better connectivity with the rest of the country and improve trade and commerce in the northeast," Gohain said.

The new train will have 19 state-of-the-art Linke Hofmann Busch coaches with modern amenities for passengers.

Tourists visiting Kaziranga wildlife sanctuary will benefit from the new train as it will stop at nearby Amoni and Jakhalabandha.

Delhi-bound and south-bound trains will also be considered for introduction from Silghat. The minister reportedly announced an award of Rs 2 lakh to the Lumding railway division for providing facilities in record time.