Manipur Freight Train connectivity

January 31, 2022

On January 27, 2022, the first goods train reached the Rani Gaidinliu station of Manipur. This is the first freight train to enter Manipur after 75 years. This shows the rapid transformation happening in the state of Manipur.

New Railway Line in Manipur

Manipur is a hilly state. Because of this reason it was difficult to build railway lines in this region. The new railway line built in the state is 111 km long. It runs from Jiribam to Imphal. The Jiribam railway station is 17 km from the Assam – Manipur border. The Railway department is to construct 46 tunnels along the new rail line. Also, it includes 153 bridges. The world tallest bridge is in this line. It is in Noney district. The bridge is 141 metres high. The Railways has spent Rs 14,000 crores in constructing the railway line so far. The construction started in 2013. The line was to be constructed up to Imphal. Now, there are plans to extend up to Moreh. Moreh is a trading centre located in Manipur – Myanmar border.

Significance

By extending rail connectivity to North East, GoI is trying to increase its trade with the south east Asian countries. India’s plan is to use the north eastern states as a gateway to increase the trade with the ASEAN countries. Also, GoI is increasing the connectivity to the region to reduce the insurgency here. If connectivity increases, the trade increases and the economic growth of the region increases. This boosts employment opportunity for the youth. they become less vulnerable to the terror groups.

Trans Asian Railway

The plan of extending the rail line till Moreh is a part of the Trans Asian railway. The Trans Asian Railway is under construction. The Trans Asian Railway aims to create a rail route between Asia and Europe. It is a project of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. The main objective of the project is to provide a continuous rail link between Singapore, Istanbul and Turkey.

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