Mizoram’s first broad-gauge passenger train starts plying between Bairabi and Silchar

Mizoram got its first broad-gauge passenger train on Friday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagging off the first broad-gauge passenger train from Bairabi to Silchar.

The prime minister flagged off the train through video conferencing, media reports said.

The train has already conducted trial runs between Bairabi and Silchar on 24 and 25 May to check the operability of the tracks.

''The condition of tracks, bridges as well as the train speed were inspected,'' reports quoted Railway Safety Commissioner SK Pathak as saying.

The train will pass through Katakhal in Cachar before reaching Silchar.

Mizoram's first broad-gauge freight train had commenced on 21 March when it reached the Bairabi Railway Station from Guwahati, carrying 2,600 metric tonnes of rice.

Before the rail tracks were built, the National Highway 54 was the only lifeline linking Aizawl with the rest of the country. The rail services will be a major boost for the state's economy.

Earlier, on Thursday, railway minister Suresh Prabhu had said the first bullet train will run in India in 2023 heralding a new era in train operations in the subcontinent.

"In 2023, the first bullet train will run in India. We have already discussed the phases of bullet train project," PTI quoted Prabhu as saying.

The bullet train is expected to cover 508 km between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in about two hours, running at a maximum speed of 350 kmph and operating speed of 320 kmph.

Work on the project, estimated to cost about Rs97,636 crore, is going on as per the schedule, he said.

Japanese loan will cover 81 per cent of the project cost, including possible cost escalation, interest during construction and import duties. It is a soft loan for 50 years at 0.1 per cent annual interest with a 15- year moratorium.

According to the detailed project report proposed by Japanese International Corporation Agency (JICA), while most part of the corridor is proposed to be on the elevated track, there will be a stretch after Thane creek towards Virar which will run under the sea.