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Agartala railway station

Coordinates: 23°47′34″N 91°16′42″E / 23.79278°N 91.27833°E / 23.79278; 91.27833
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Agartala
Regional rail and Light rail station
Front view of Agartala railway station
General information
LocationBadharghat, West Tripura district, Tripura
India
Coordinates23°47′34″N 91°16′42″E / 23.79278°N 91.27833°E / 23.79278; 91.27833
Elevation25 m (82 ft)
Owned byIndian Railways
Operated byNortheast Frontier Railways
Line(s)Lumding–Sabroom section
Platforms3
Tracks15[1]
ConnectionsTaxi, Auto rickshaw, Bus
Construction
Structure typeAt grade
ParkingParking Available
Bicycle facilitiesBicycle facilities Available
AccessibleDisabled access Yes
Other information
StatusActive
Station codeAGTL
Zone(s) Northeast Frontier
Division(s) Lumding
History
Opened2008
Rebuilt2016; 9 years ago (2016)
ElectrifiedYes
Passengers
15K/Day (Increase high)
Route map
Location
Agartala railway station is located in Tripura
Agartala railway station
Agartala railway station
Location within Tripura
Map

Agartala Railway Station is located 5.5 km (3.4 mi) from Agartala in Tripura, India. It is the second capital city (after Guwahati, Assam) in northeast India to be connected to the country's railway map, moreover Agartala is the first state capital of independent India to be connected with a rail network.[2] Before 2015 the 413-kilometre (257 mi) route was connected to Lumding with a metre-gauge track, but after the gauge conversion to broad gauge in 2016, the track is connected directly to Guwahati and the rest of India.

From Agartala an under-construction track has been on the way for a connection towards the extreme Southern end point of the state at Sabroom, which has been completed on 3 October 2019. A total of 21 constructed stations and few under-construction stations in the state, with Churaibari being the last one through the Northern side and Sabroom (functioning & completed) in the Southern side. The total length of track from the capital towards the North region's last station is approx. 153 km (95 mi), after which the territory of Assam starts. There are a lot of transportation modes available to reach the city from the station.

History

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The northeastern state capital came on India's railmap with the advent of the railways in the subcontinent in 1853. The foundation stone of the 119 km (74-mile) KumarghatAgartala railway project was laid in 1996 by the former Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda, and during the laying of rail lines, provisions were kept for swiftly converting it to broad gauge. 20 years time was taken by the Government since then to connect Agartala by rail.

Construction

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According to Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, the NFR had "spent Rs 900 crore ($190 million) to connect Agartala by rail by making three tunnels through the Longtharai Valley, Baramura and Atharamura Hills in Dhalai and West Tripura districts. The 1,962-metre (6,437 ft) Longtharai tunnel is the longest railway tunnel in eastern India."[3] The architecture of the station resembles Ujjayanta Palace designed by architect Nabarun Biswas of A B Consultants Private Limited of Kolkata.

Broad-gauge

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Agartala was scheduled to get broad-gauge facility by March 2016. Works for conversion in BG from a small metre-gauge track from Lumding to Silchar in Assam was completed in March 2015 Freight services to Agartala had already resumed by then. It was 31 July 2016 when Suresh Prabhu the then Railway Minister of India inaugurated the AgartalaNew DelhiTripura Sundari Express’,[4] linking the broad gauge with the rest of India. On 28 October 2017 Rajdhani Express was inaugurated from Agartala to Anand Vihar Terminal.

Railway in Tripura

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Existing

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Operational rail lines in Tripura.

  • Lumding–Sabroom Line (via Agartala), fully operational, ~153 km, broad-gauge, electrified, to Sabroom (connects to Chittagong, Bangladesh, via proposed rail link).[5]
  • Akhaura–Agartala line, Agartala in India to Akhaura of Bangladesh Railway, reduces Agartala–Kolkata distance by 1,000 km, completed since 2023.[6][7] The total length of the track will be 15.054 km, of which only 5 km falls on the Indian side with the remaining track in Bangladesh. The tracks would be laid in metre gauge on broad-gauge format so that it could be converted into broad gauge when necessary.[8]

The project is funded by India and is expected to cost around Rs 271 crore.

Under-Construction

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  • Agartala Metro, proposed 12 km light rail along Agartala Railway Station-Secretariat-Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport route, feasibility study underway in February 2025.[10]
  • Agartala–Sairang line, ~200 km along Agartala-Udaipur-Kailashahar-Sairang (near Aizawl), DPR completed and approved in 2024, and land acquisition is pending (2024 update).[11]

Proposed

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "6 Months' Time for Broad Gauge Conversion". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  2. ^ "Tripura on broad-gauge railway map; link to Bangladesh laid". Tribune India. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  3. ^ The Economic Times. "Agartala comes up on Indian railway map". Indian Railways News January -June 2008. Worldjute.com. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  4. ^ "Suresh Prabhu Inaugurates Agartala-Delhi Broad Gauge Rail Line".
  5. ^ "Tripura Rail Network". Northeast Frontier Railway. 2025. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  6. ^ "Agartala-Akhaura rail link ready, but delays persist". The Hindu. 5 January 2025. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  7. ^ "Work on Agartala-Akhaura rail link to commence soon". The Times of India. 18 June 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  8. ^ "Agartala-Akhaura rail link work to start soon". Zeenews India. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  9. ^ Sabroom-Feni Rail Link DPR (Report). Ministry of Railways. March 2025. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  10. ^ "Tripura plans light rail for Agartala". EastMojo. 18 February 2025. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  11. ^ "Agartala-Sairang New Line". Ministry of Railways. 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  12. ^ "Tripura seeks funds for Kumarghat-Manu rail line". India Blooms. 10 November 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  13. ^ "Chapter 5". Northeast Rail Vision 2047. MoR. 2024. ISBN 978-81-951765-7-3. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  14. ^ Deb, S. (March 2025). "India-Bangladesh Rail Connectivity". EPW. 60 (12). ISSN 0012-9976.
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