Guwahati, Jan 29 (IANS) In a significant passenger-centric initiative, Indian Railway has approved 202 additional stoppages of trains at 82 stations across Assam, West Bengal and Bihar under the jurisdiction of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), officials said on Wednesday.

NFR’s Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said that these additional 202 halts have been sanctioned on an experimental basis with the objective of enhancing rail connectivity, improving accessibility for passengers from smaller and emerging locations, catering to long-standing public demand.

The stoppages will come into effect soon and will be closely monitored for passenger response and operational feasibility, he said.

According to Sharma, several important and premium trains have been included under this initiative. He said that the stoppages have been provided for the New Jalpaiguri-Guwahati-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express at Rangiya, AnandVihar-Agartala-AnandVihar Rajdhani Express at New Haflong and New Coochbehar, Kolkata-Sairang-Kolkata Express at Katakhal and Guwahati-Sairang-Guwahati Express at Katlicherraare among others, further strengthening the railway travel schedule in North Bengal, Bihar and Assam.

Also, the New Delhi-Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani Express will now halt at stations like Dhemaji, Sibsagar Town and Vishwanath Chariali, offering improved access to Rajdhani services for passengers from Upper Assam. Additionally, key mail and express trains, including Guwahati-Howrah-Guwahati, Dibrugarh-Howrah-Dibrugarh, Kamakhya-Puri-Kamakhya, Silchar-Guwahati-Silchar and Alipurduar–Delhi-Alipurduar Express services have also been covered under the expanded stoppage plan.

Several important stations across NFR have been selected for these experimental halts, including Rangiya, Nalbari, Barpeta Road, Goalpara Town, Basugaon, Dangtal, Kokrajhar, New Cooch Behar, New Alipurduar, Sibsagar Town, Dhemaji, Lanka, Hojai, Vishwanath Chariali, Aluabari Road, Bagdogra, Dalkhola, Samsi, Harischandrapur, Raninagar Jalpaiguri, New Mal Junction, Sivok, etc.

These stoppages are expected to benefit passengers from semi-urban and rural areas by reducing travel time to major junctions and providing better interchange opportunities with long-distance and premium trains. These additional stoppages will be implemented in a phased manner over the coming weeks.

Passengers are advised to check updated train schedules through official railway enquiry systems and websites.

NFR remains committed towards strengthening rail connectivity and delivering improved travel convenience to the people of the Northeast and adjoining regions, the CPRO said.

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), headquartered at Maligaon near Guwahati, operates across the Northeastern states as well as in seven districts of West Bengal and five districts of north Bihar.

–IANS

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