Efforts are currently underway to restore passenger train services at Tuli railway station, spearheaded by the Business Association of Nagaland (BAN) in collaboration with the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR).
Following a meeting held on 26 March at the General Manager’s Chamber, NF Railway HQ, Maligaon, Guwahati, Assam, Chetan Kumar Shrivastav, General Manager of NFR, has agreed to organize a high-level visit by NF Railway HQ officials to Tuli Railway station “very soon”.
During the meeting, L Mongkum Jamir, President of Business Association of Nagas (BAN), emphasized the strategic importance of Tuli railway station as a central gateway for Nagaland, serving approximately 5-6 districts. He highlighted that the station previously conducted a trial run of passenger trains from Tuli to Mariani in 2007. However, he stressed the need for further infrastructure development at Tuli Railway Station to facilitate the smooth operation of passenger trains.
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In response, Shrivastav assured that the matter would be approached positively, with plans for a high-level visit to Tuli “very soon”. Additionally, BAN pledged its support in securing necessary land for expansion purposes and providing assistance and cooperation required for the station’s operation.
After thorough deliberation, it was agreed that the initiation of DEMU passenger train services, on an experimental basis, between Tuli and Dimapur, for 3 to 4 days a week would be considered.
Previously, in January, BAN appealed to NFR to upgrade the nearly-defunct station into a fully automatic railway station with three lines. During a presentation to KK Sharma, the Senior Divisional Commercial Manager of NFR in January, BAN member Akum Jamir revealed that the station’s revenue had shown significant growth over the years, reaching almost Rs 24 crore in the latest report for 2023-24.
It’s noteworthy that BAN have reported that they have already garnered support from the Village Council concerned and landowners, who have agreed to fully cooperate and provide protection to the workers.
The Tuli Railway Station, which commenced operations in the early 1990s but came to a halt in 2000, had previously attempted a passenger train trial run to Mariani in Assam in 2007, albeit deemed unfeasible, leading to its discontinuation due to minimal passenger traffic.