Nagaland: NFR GM calls on Rio, discusses Dimapur-Kohima rail connectivity projects

Guwahati: Northeast Frontier Railway general manager Chetan Kumar Shrivastava called upon Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio in Kohima on Monday.

“A pleasure to meet Chetan Kumar Shrivastava, general manager of NF Railway and officials from @RailNf. We discussed matters about the further development of railways in the state. I wish them a pleasant stay in Nagaland,” Rio wrote on X (formerly Twitter) after the meeting.

The meeting held between the duos was to chalk out areas of concern related to the smooth and easy execution of various railway projects in the state.

Shrivastava assured the chief minister that the railway connectivity in the ongoing Dhansiri-Zubza new line project till Molvom and Pherima will be achieved by September 2024.

The railway will also be developing a Goods Yard at Molvom as requested by the state authorities. Shrivastava also assured that NF Railway will develop rail infrastructure in the state as per the requirements of the state.

Rio also accepted NFR’s request to set up a high-level committee in the state to sort out the issues about railways. The committee will now be sitting every quarter.

NFR aims to redefine the railway infrastructure in the region. Apart from the Kohima connectivity project, which is slated to be commissioned by 2026, NFR also aims to provide direct rail connectivity between Kohima and Imphal, which are the capital cities of Nagaland and Manipur respectively.

The general manager also updated the chief minister about its status. The Reconnaissance Engineering cum Traffic survey for Zubza-Imphal new line has been completed.

NFR is now in the stage to start the Final Location Survey shortly for this new line, the contract for which is already in place.

Notably, NFR, in 2022, opened the Shokhuvi Railway station in Nagaland, the second railway station in the state after Dimapur, which was opened after a gap of more than 100 years.

NFR on behalf of Indian Railways is significantly contributing towards the transformation of the northeastern states by executing several new railway line connectivity projects. Construction of new railway lines to connect all the state capitals of the northeastern region with the rest of the nation is being undertaken as a top priority project.