The Return of Trains to NC Hills

User Rating:  / 0

The Return of Trains to NC Hills

Is there a ray of hope for the resumption of steam engine driven tourist coaches on the century old Hills track between Silchar and Haflong the district head quarters of North Cachar Hills? This possibility has arisen in view of the restoration of peace and tranquillity in the trouble-torn Hills with the surrender of  the Dima Halam Daogah outfit led by Jewel Gorlossa. It is to be recalled that the proposition of running such a heritage train on the pattern of Darjeeling and Shimla was mooted by the former railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav. In fact, there was a trial run of such a train between Badarpur and Haflong which did attract tourists, both local and from abroad. The Railway Ministry is for the revival of the steam engines now lying idle in and outside the loco-shed of Badarpur. It was these engines before the advent of diesel locomotives on Silchar – Badarpur - Haflong - Lumding MG Hills section in particular which helped the rolling stock, passenger and goods on the steepest gradient to move  in either direction. Significantly, two decades ago, Hills sections trains were hauled by the once famous heavy Canadian double faced engines introduced by the Assam - Bengal Railways of the British era.
At the rear of the trains, Indian made engines helped the Canadian engines gear up while on the ascent and controlled the speed on the descent. There is now a ray of hope for the revival of steam engines since the Railway Ministry is against the idea of steam engines lying unused, as showpieces or sold as scrap. According to a railway official, the Ministry has directed that the steam engines should be repaired and revived for use.
According to the sources, there are 43 steam engines, most of which are lying at the Rail Museum in New Delhi. Some others are lying abandoned on tracks of railway stations like Badarpur. The move to revive the use of steam engines comes in the wake of the recommendations of a committee headed by chief mechanical engineer of Northern Railway Narendra Gupta which is examining all aspects of sustainability and maintenance of the existing steam engines for hauling tourist coaches on select tourist destinations.
Silchar – Badarpur – Haflong - Lumding Hills section MG could be retained even after the completion of BG track for the convenience of the hill population and for sight-seeing trips for tourists. Significantly, N F Railways not long ago introduced a three coach tourist train to take the tourists through the Hills section. It did serve its purpose but insurgency eventually put a stop to this. This rail track of 215 kms meanders through hills, dales and valleys along which the trains chug on through 37 tunnels and 586 bridges, past 24 stations.
Considering the immense tourist potential of the North Cachar Hills, the running of a tourist train can be considered, following the examples of Darjeeling Himalayan Railways, Nilgiri Mountain Railway and Kalka - Shimla Railway hauled by steam locomotives which have been given World Heritage status. Haflong with its natural treasure - trove, Jatinga with its famous bird - harakiri mystery and Maibong with its historical ruins of the Dimasa Kingdom could be developed as some of the best tourist resorts.
The MG rail track traverses through the highest levels in the hill ranges and the highest station is Jatinga located at 2156.65 ft. The critical phase on this section is between Harangajao and Jatinga with the steepest railway gradient in the world which stands at 1:37. It means that on its ascent towards Jatinga, the train  climbs an average of 1 ft within a distance of every 37 ft. In the reverse direction towards Harangajao, the situation is directly inversed.
On this hilly section there is the provision of ‘catch - siding’ at the approach to some stations to prevent an otherwise uncontrollable train from speeding down the hill gradient and losing control. This ‘siding’ is capable of slowing down a train travelling at speeds of 45 of 75 mph. The steam engine at the rear end does the balancing act. A journey by tourists through the Hills section will not only be exciting and the best way to beat the summer heat or to retreat from the hurry, flurry and scurry of normal everyday life.

Jyoti Lal Chowdhury