Assam ties up with Railways for Rs 5,000 crore track venture

GUWAHATI: Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Thursday announced a Rs 5,000 crore joint venture project with Assam government for the construction of four elevated railway tracks between Kamakhya and New Guwahati. The move is aimed at eliminating 12 level crossing gates in Guwahati.

Prabhu, who was in the city, also laid the foundation stone for a project intended at doubling of the railway line from New Bongaigaon to Kamakhya via Goalpara. The project was sanctioned in 2015-16 Railway Budget at an approximate cost of Rs 2,232 crore.

The section will have 18 stations where construction of new station building and yard remodeling would be taken up. The section will also have Limited Height Subways at 86 locations and road over bridges at 7 locations.

Prabhu said that construction of the elevated tracks connecting Kamakhya and New Guwahati would decongest city roads and free up railway land, besides enabling the railways to develop Guwahati station as a commercial hub.