Broad-gauge boost to put Northeast growth on fast track

New Delhi: The seven sister states of the Northeast will be connected by the better equipped broad-gauge line by the end of this year providing better rail connectivity to the region.

The move will help improve the transportation of goods and passengers across the north-eastern states which have a connectivity problem, a senior railway ministry official said. Commissioning of railway lines in these states will not only reduce travel time between Northeast and major Indian cities but also strengthen the economy of these states.

The officials said it will bring down the price of essential commodities in the Northeast region, particularly food grains.

The broad-gauge is the widely used line in India with approximately 1,08,500 km of track length and 60,430 km of route length. It is also called Indian gauge and is the broadest gauge in operation in the world.

The basic difference between broad-gauge and meter-gauge is the distance between the two parallel tracks of a railway line. Metregauge tracks are set apart by exactly one meter from each other, while the broad gauge tracks are set apart by about 1.69 meter from each other. Broad gauge tracks are also suitable to carry heavier loads. In Northeast, Indian Railways commissioned about 900 km of broad gauge line in two years.