File photo: Hill Queen Express

The Hill Queen Express that once ran through zig-zag metre gauge track between Lumding and Lower Haflong is now ready to chug through Barak Valley on broad gauge track. Divisional Railway Manager Lumding, Pramod K Jain has confirmed this. The train service will resume within April though the date is not confirmed yet.

The engine of Hill Queen Express fell silent due to conversion of the railway track from metre gauge to broad gauge.

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Resumption of Hill Queen Express service was a long standing demand of various organizations of the district as well as Barak Valley.

Jain confirmed the resumption of the train service to the delegation of Indigenous Students Forum of NC Hills when they had met him at his chamber in Lumding to press for their various demands.  The Forum demanded stoppages of the Hill Queen Express in all the stations within Dima Hasao district.

The Forum also threatened to resort to rail roko programme on April 19 if the railway authorities fail to pay the compensation within April 18.

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Pankaj Kumar Deb is Northeast Now Correspondent in Haflong. He can be reached at: [email protected]