Maligaon, January 28 (MExN): In a major passenger-centric initiative, Indian Railways (IR) has approved 202 additional stoppages of trains at 82 stations across Assam, West Bengal and Bihar under the jurisdiction of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), officials said.
The additional halts have been sanctioned on an experimental basis with the objective of enhancing rail connectivity, improving accessibility for passengers from smaller and emerging locations, and addressing long-standing public demand. The stoppages will come into effect shortly and will be closely monitored to assess passenger response and operational feasibility.
Several important and premium trains have been included under the initiative. Notably, stoppages have been approved for the New Jalpaiguri–Guwahati–New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express at Rangiya; the Anand Vihar–Agartala–Anand Vihar Rajdhani Express at New Haflong and New Cooch Behar; the Kolkata–Sairang–Kolkata Express at Katakhal; and the Guwahati–Sairang–Guwahati Express at Katlicherra, among others. These additions are expected to further strengthen rail connectivity across North Bengal, Bihar and Assam.
The New Delhi–Dibrugarh–New Delhi Rajdhani Express will now halt at stations such as Dhemaji, Sibsagar Town and Vishwanath Chariali, offering improved access to Rajdhani services for passengers from Upper Assam. In addition, key mail and express services including Guwahati–Howrah–Guwahati, Dibrugarh–Howrah–Dibrugarh, Kamakhya–Puri–Kamakhya, Silchar–Guwahati–Silchar and Alipurduar–Delhi–Alipurduar Express trains have also been covered under the expanded stoppage plan.
A number of important stations across the NFR network have been selected for these experimental halts. These include Rangiya, Nalbari, Barpeta Road, Goalpara Town, Basugaon, Dangtal, Kokrajhar, New Cooch Behar, New Alipurduar, Sibsagar Town, Dhemaji, Lanka, Hojai, Vishwanath Chariali, Aluabari Road, Bagdogra, Dalkhola, Samsi, Harischandrapur, Raninagar Jalpaiguri, New Mal Junction, Sivok, among others.
Officials said the additional stoppages are expected to benefit passengers from semi-urban and rural areas by reducing travel time to major junctions and providing better interchange opportunities with long-distance and premium trains.
The new stoppages will be implemented in a phased manner over the coming weeks. Passengers have been advised to check updated train schedules through official railway enquiry systems and websites. The NFR reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening rail connectivity and improving travel convenience for people in the Northeast and adjoining regions.
