New Delhi: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has flagged off the Jan Shatabdi Express between Agartala and Jiribam connecting two north-eastern states, Tripura and Manipur.
The minister flagged off the train via video conferencing mode and praised the central government led by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi by saying that the government is working to develop the connectivity of the northeast region and the country.
The said train will run between Agartala railway station at Badharghat and Jiribam railway station in Manipur thrice a week. The journey will take six hours.
After, the inauguration of the train, the long-standing demand of the people of Manipur, Tripura and South Assam was fulfilled
Taking to micro-blogging site twitter, Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said,'' Launch of this train is a step ahead in fulfilling Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji's vision of making North East the AshtaLakshami of the country's economy. Connecting North Eastern states with rail routes will open new avenues of economic activities in the region''.
"Tripura and Manipur have relation since royal period. The railway line, not only connected Tripura and Manipur, but also the entire northeast region," said Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh.
Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Pratima Bhowmik, Tripura Transport Minister Pranajit Singha Roy, BJP legislator Mimi Majumder and others joined the inaugural event in Tripura, while Minister of State for External Affairs and Education Dr. R. Ranjan Singh, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and others joined the event in Imphal.
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