Union ministers Sarbananda Sonowal and Kiren Rijiju today flagged off two trains in the North East.
The Intercity Express from Murkongselek to Guwahati via Rangiya was flagged off by the Union Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs Sarbananda Sonowal at Murkongselek this afternoon.
"The new train will be a relief for the flood affected districts of Dhemaji and Lakhimpur," Sonowal said.
The Minister said they have taken up the matter of the departure time of the Murkongselek-Guwahati Intercity Express with the railway officials and the time of departure from Murkongselek to Guwahati would be changed from 11 pm to 8 pm from October 1.
Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju flagged off another train from Bhalukpong to Dekargaon at Bhalukpong station.
Rijiju said the train would be of great help to the people of the hill areas of West Kameng district and also part of East Kameng and Tawang districts.
He said it would also help security personnel travelling to the border areas with China and to carry essential goods to far-flung areas.
The guage conversion of this section was sanctioned in the Railway Budget of 2003-04 and was completed and commissioned in a phased manner.
The Rangiya-Murkongselek section and its branch lines Rangapara North to Tezpur (Dekargaon) and Balipara to Bhalukpong was 505 km long and falls mainly in Assam except for a small length of 1.26 km, which was in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had earlier in the day flagged off the trains by remote control at New Delhi.
