NFR delivers first-ever cement rake to Nagaland, marks major milestone

Guwahati/Dimapur, Sep 25 (IANS) The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) achieved a significant milestone with the delivery of the first-ever rake of cement at Molvom railway station in Nagaland, officials said on Thursday.

NFR’s Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said that the rake, consisting of 41 wagons loaded with cement from a private company in Telangana, was successfully unloaded on Wednesday.

He said that this marks the first rake movement to Molvom railway station, strengthening rail connectivity and infrastructure in the region.

The Molvom Railway Station is a new railway station in the Chümoukedima District of Nagaland. It is part of the Dhansiri (Assam)–Zubza (in Kohima district of Nagaland) line, aiming to be the third major railway station in Nagaland after Dimapur and Shokhüvi.

The CPRO said that the NFR continues its commitment to enhancing freight facilities in the Northeast supporting economic growth and sustainable logistics.

The rake carried 2,624 tonnes of cement over 2,500 km from Mellacheruvu, Telangana to Molvom railway station in Nagaland providing industries with cost effective, eco-friendly transport and contributing to the state’s socio-economic development.

According to Sharma, the 82.50 km Dimapur–Kohima railway line, spanning 2.75 km in Assam and 79.75 km in Nagaland, runs from Dhansiri in Assam to Zubza in Kohima.

It features eight stations -- Dhansiri, Dhansiripar, Shokhuvi, Molvom, Pherima, Piphema, Menguzuma and Zubzaalong with 27 major bridges, 149 minor bridges, 5 Road Over Bridges, 15 Road Under Bridges and 20 tunnels covering 31 km.

The 16.5 km Dhansiri–Shokhuvi section was commissioned in October 2021 with passenger services from Shokhuvi to Naharlagun in Arunachal Pradesh and Mendipathar in Meghalaya operational since then. The newly completed 14.64 km Shokhuvi–Molvom was commissioned in March 2025, the CPRO said.

Indian Railways, as the lifeline of the nation, is dedicated to expanding its network in the Northeast. The successful placement of this first rake at Molvom reflects NFR’s continuous efforts to bring reliable rail services to remote regions while reducing carbon emissions in line with the commitment to achieve Net Zero by 2030, Sharma stated.

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) operates in the northeastern states and in seven districts of West Bengal and five districts of north Bihar.

Meanwhile, Mizoram capital Aizawl became the fourth capital city in the Northeast by rail apart from Guwahati, Agartala and Itanagar after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the ambitious 51.38-km Bairabi-Sairang railway project on September 13.

The Prime Minister also flagged off the three new trains after the inauguration of the Bairabi–Sairang new railway project. The three trains are Sairang-Anand Vihar (Delhi) Rajdhani Express (weekly), Kolkata-Sairang-Kolkata Express (tri-weekly) and Guwahati-Sairang-Guwahati Express (daily).

--IANS

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