HINGOLI (MAHARASHTRA): The much-awaited Purna-Hingoli-Akola broad gauge railway line was commissioned today, heralding a new era in public and freight transport in the backward Marathwada and Vidarbha regions of Maharashtra.
Governor SC Jamir formally inaugurated the line at a function held at Hingoli station in the Marathwada region.
A new passenger train was flagged off from Hingoli, which will run from Purna to Akola via Hingoli as the Purna-Akola passenger train. Akola, Purna, Washi and Hingoli stations have been modernised on a par with major railway stations.
The new line connects the region with the Nagpur-Mumbai and Secunderabad-Manmad main lines. It also shortens the distance to Bikaner by about 100 km. The current line to Bikaner in Rajasthan runs 560 km while the new line through Hingoli will be just 460 km long. The South Central Railway has created freight-handling facilities at Hingoli, Washim and Shivnishivpur.
The conversion of the meter gauge line between Purna and Akola (206 km) was taken up in 2006 with an investment of Rs 531 crore and completed in a short time of about two and a half years.
Union Minister of State for Railways Naran Bai Rathwa, responding to the requests of local MLAs, MPs and Union Minister of State for Rural Development Surya Kanta Patil, announced that a new train between Akola and Mumbai would be introduced in six months’ time after installation of maintenance facilities and laying of looplines.
Rathwa said a project for gauge conversion in the Akola-Khandwa section (174 km) was sanctioned and it would be completed in about three years.
South Central Railway chief administrative officer (construction) AK Gupta and chief public relations officer P Krishnaiah were present. On the sidelines of the ceremony, Member of Parliament from Washim Bhavana P Gawali said that six soybean processing units, three at Washim and three at Akola had been set up.