Parliament Question: Rail Connectivity in Tripura

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:- Contd….2/--:2:- S.N. Name of the Project Cost (₹ in crore) 1. Agartala – Sabroom New Line (112 Km) 3170 2. Lumding – Badarpur – Kumarghat Gauge Conversion 6500 (244 Km) 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, Agartala- Akhaura (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:- Contd….3/--:3:- 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 2014- 2025 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 Total Length Exp. upto sanctioned Length Commissioned Mar’25 projects (in Km) upto (₹ in Cr.) Mar’25 (in Km) New Lines 08 448 113 38,078 Doubling/Multitracking 04 329 165 3,598 Total 12 777 278 41,676 Contd….4/--:4:- 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 2 865 Agartala - Akhaura new line (5 Km) 3 3,019 Rangiya - Murkongselek gauge conversion (510 Km) 4 1,242 Kumarghat - Agartala gauge conversion (109 Km) 5 Lumding - Badarpur - Silchar & Badarpur - Kumarghat 6,500 gauge conversion (412 Km) 6 410 Lumding - Hojai doubling (45 Km) 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 Contd….5/--:5:- 2 Dimapur - Kohima new line (82 Km) 15,230 3 Murkongselek - Pasighat new line (27 Km) 1,249 4 New Bongaigaon - Goalpara - Guwahati 4,962 (Kamakhaya) doubling (176 Km) 5 Saraighat Bridge doubling (7 Km) 1,474 6 Kamkhya Guwahati 3rd 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: Contd….6/--: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. *****