The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has been making all-out efforts to run the much-anticipated electric locomotive-powered trains from Tripura at the earliest, a railway official said on Wednesday.

An official of Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL) said that a newly constructed 132 KV transmission line was formally commissioned on Wednesday, connecting the Banduar 132 KV substation to the Udaipur Railway Traction Substation in southern Tripura’s Gomati district.

“With this development, preparations are now complete for running electric trains from Matabari Railway Station,” the TSECL official said. He said that currently, train services in Tripura are operated with diesel locomotives, which are not only costly but also harmful to the environment.

“The introduction of electric train services is expected to reduce operational costs and curb pollution significantly. Wednesday’s inauguration marks a major step by the TSECL towards electrifying the state’s railway network,” the official said.

According to officials from both the Railways and TSECL, electricity supply to the Teliamura Railway Traction Substation in Khowai district would commence soon.

Gradually, every railway station in the state would be brought under the electrification network, the TSECL official said, adding that once the entire railway route is electrified, electric train operations would be formally launched in Tripura.

Speaking at the inauguration, Nandita Das, Additional General Manager of TSECL’s Gomati district, said the project would bring a transformative change to the state’s transportation system, making passenger travel faster, more affordable, and environmentally friendly.

The event was attended by Udaipur Deputy General Manager Ananda Sarkar, senior TSECL officials, Northeast Frontier Railway representatives, and Udaipur station authorities.

Residents expressed excitement over the development, stating that electric train services would make travel in Tripura more convenient and comfortable, while also creating new opportunities for tourism and trade in the region, the TSECL official said.

An NFR official said that trial runs of the passenger trains with an electric locomotive were successfully conducted earlier between Agartala railway station and southern Assam’s Arunachal Junction railway station in Cachar district.

“Before regular running of electric passenger trains, such trial runs are mandatory. A few more trials of trains driven by electric locomotives are likely to be conducted before regular running of electric trains from Tripura,” the official said.

He said that before the trial runs of the passenger trains, the first goods train trial run with an electric locomotive was successfully conducted on February 6 between southern Assam’s Badarpur station and Tripura’s Jirania station, 15 km north of Agartala railway station.

As the infrastructure with electric railway lines is getting ready, the iconic Vande Bharat Express trains will be extended up to Assam’s Silchar and Agartala within the next few months, the NFR official said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off Assam’s first Vande Bharat Express on May 29, 2023, connecting Guwahati with New Jalpaiguri (West Bengal).

Tripura is now well connected with Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Firozpur, Patna and other cities of the country by several express trains, but passenger train services have been solely powered by diesel-powered engines.

A Rs 46 crore electrification project was launched in 2022 to connect Tripura with the national railway grid with electric trains.