Agartala: In response to the Tripura government, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has announced plans to extend the train service of the Lokmanya Tilak-Kamakhya weekly express to Agartala, connecting Mumbai from its existing destination, Guwahati.
The train service from Agartala railway station is expected to start before Durga Puja, scheduled for October 20, said Transport Secretary U K Chakma here.
With the extension of express train service up to Agartala, Tripura has connected Tripura with all important destinations in the country, including direct trains to all four metro cities: Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, and Mumbai.
As many as 11 express trains, including Tejas and Humsafar Express, have been running from Agartala, and an international train route from Agartala to Dhaka and Kolkata is likely to be operational by the end of the year. The central government has sanctioned Rs 96.60 crore to make Dharmanagar, Kumarghat, and Udaipur under the Amrit Bharat Station scheme, Chakma stated.
According to the schedule, the weekly Lokmanya Tilak-Kamakhya Express will start its journey from Agartala every Thursday at 6 AM, and after 55 hours of journey, the fully air-conditioned (AC) train will reach Mumbai, and again every Sunday at 7.50 AM, the train will start its return journey from Mumbai to Agartala via Guwahati.
The train on the way to Mumbai will stop at seven stations between Agartala and Guwahati- Ambassa, Dharmanagar, Badarpur, New Haflong, Lumding, Hojai, and Chaparmukh. The train will serve a large number of patients and students from Tripura at a cheaper cost, and it will also boost tourism in the state, said state transport minister Sushanta Choudhury.
