Title - Abohar-Fazilka rail service to get going soon

New Delhi : VK Gupta, General Manager, Northern Railway, today said that train service on the Abohar-Fazilka track, which was constructed in 2007, would start in a few months time. It was delayed as “technical permission” had not been given by the higher authorities concerned.He said that to start train traffic on new tracks, technical permission is required after the laying of tracks, construction of platforms and completion of electrification work.The foundation stone of the project to connect Abohar and Fazilka was laid on February 1, 2004, by the then Railway Minister Nitish Kumar. The project was completed in 2007.Train service on the segment would be commissioned in a few months, Gupta said. “All hurdles have been cleared,” he claimed.On the damage to the railway track and the stations on the route, he said that repairs would be carried out before running the trains.The project began with a budget of Rs 86 crore. The delay in construction pushed up the cost to Rs 276 crore.The project involved the construction of 42.11 km of railway track between the two border towns, five intermediate stations — Churhi Wala Dhana, Jandhwala Kharata, Khui Kherra, Ghalo and Burj Mohar — and 29 level crossings besides houses for rail employees at each station.