ARPA demands developing Agyathuri as world-class passenger terminal

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Assam Rail Passengers' Association (ARPA) has demanded that the Agyathuri railway station should be developed into a passenger terminal instead of a cargo terminal.

ARPA general secretary Dipankar Sharma said, "To decongest the Guwahati railway station and to reduce the traffic congestion in Guwahati city, the Agyathuri railway station should be developed into a passenger terminal equipped with modern facilities. A new rail-cum-road bridge over River Brahmaputra near the existing Saraighat bridge in Guwahati has been approved. Once the rail-cum-road bridge is completed, passengers will be able to deboard at the Agyathuri railway station instead of the Guwahati railway station via the Kamakhya railway station.

"Now the trains which come from other places to Guwahati (Up passenger trains) have to wait for sometime at the Agyathuri railway station to get the green signal to enter the Guwahati railway station. If the Agyathuri railway station is made a passenger terminal, passengers will be able to get down there. This will decongest the existing terminals at Guwahati and Kamakhya."

He said that the association had submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister of Assam in which they had stated their demand for developing Agyathuri railway station into a passenger terminal. Recently, during President Droupadi Murmu's visit to Assam, she had laid the foundation stone for a modern cargo-cum-coaching terminal at Agiathuri.

Sharma said, "Around six years ago, a project to developing Agyathuri as a world-class passenger terminal had been sanctioned. But instead of going ahead with that project, why was the decision taken to develop Agyathuri into a cargo terminal? If Agyathuri is developed as a passenger terminal, it will open employment avenues for the people who live nearby. But if it becomes a cargo terminal, only a section of people will be benefitted and the social environment of the neighbouring areas will be polluted. Hence, it is our fervent appeal to the Chief Minister to have a discussion with NF Railway regarding developing Agyathuri as a passenger terminal instead of cargo terminal."

He also said that during the COVID pandemic, NF Railway had stopped the plying of many passenger trains and even now, these train services have not been resumed. He demanded that NF Railway should resume the services of these passenger trains soon.

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