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Our Correspondent
Imphal, March 15 (EMN): After the first goods train pulled in at a Manipur hill town in January this year, the first train head engine without passenger bodies reached the newly constructed Khongshang railway station in Noney district for the first time on Monday.
Senior officials of Northeast Frontier Railways accompanied the train head engine from Jiribam passing through the picturesque Rani Gaidinliu (Kaimai) and Thingou railway stations to reach Khongshang covering a distance of about 62 km.
The villagers of Thingou and Khongshang welcomed the head engine train with enthusiasm while the women performed traditional dances of the Rongmei tribe while welcoming the train at their respective stations.
Sharing videos of women performing a traditional Rongmei dance at Khongsang railway station in a tweet, the caretaker Chief Minister of Manipur N Biren Singh wrote, “In yet another milestone, happy to share that an engine has reached Khongsang Railway Station today Under the visionary leadership of Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji,the impetus given to improve connectivity in Manipur will immensely boost the economy of the state."
The Engine Rolling trial was carried out between Rani Gaidinliu Railways Station at Oinamlong in Tamenglong district and Khongshang Railways Station at Khongsang in Noney district after the successful trial run of goods train till Rani Gaidinliu Railway Station on January 27.
Rani Gaidinliu Railways Station, which was earlier called the Kaimai Railway station, is part of the 111 km Imphal-Jiribam railway line project, which is being constructed at an estimated cost of about INR 14,322 crore.
The ambitious railway project which is set to be completed by December next year, will have 11 stations covering five districts of Manipur from Jiribam to connect the capital of Manipur with the broad gauge network of the country.
The entire railway line project area in the north-eastern border state is in hilly terrain and it requires construction of nearly 63 km of tunneling, the longest being 10.28 km. The world’s tallest bridge pier with height of 141 metre is also being constructed in Noney district as part of the Manipur railway project.