NF Railway incurs loss in crores due to flood

DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 17 (MExN): Northeast Frontier Railway has incurred substantial losses due to damage to railway track and assets on one hand, and suspension of traffic on the other, during the unprecedented flood in Bihar and West Bengal last month with Katihar Division bearing majority of the brunt.   According to a press release issued by the Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), NF Railway, PJ Sharma, approximately Rs 45 crore was spent on repairing track and bridges in Katihar division alone, while the total cost of repairing has been estimated to a tune of Rs 63 crore.   Besides, the civil engineering department had to use about 40,000 cu.m of boulders worth about Rs 8 crore for repair of bridges and tracks, it stated, adding that at Alipurduar Division, a bridge is being rebuilt between Fakiragram – Dhubri section at a cost of about Rs 8.7 crore.   On the commercial front, the loss (estimated till September 11, 2017) is more than Rs 209 crore with refund to passengers for cancelled train accounting for about Rs 44 crore. A total of 1576 trips of mail/express trains and 1004 trips of passenger trains have been cancelled since first week of August 2017. Loss due to damage to other assets signal & telecommunication equipments etc are still being worked out, the press release stated.