Indian Government to Introduce Railway Line in Andaman and Nicobar Islands For the First Time

Yes, you heard that right. The Railway Department is all under intense planning in getting a train in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. With this, it would be the first time ever for these islands to witness a train.

Everything You Need to Know About the New Rail! 

The railway line is said to be 240 km connecting Port Blair and Diglipur and is going to have bridges and stations along the coast.  Currently, the route is served either by bus or a boat which takes 14 hours and 24 hours respectively to cover a distance of 350 km. There is no air connectivity, either. However, with this train, the time taken to cover the distance will be just 3 hours.  Isn’t that just awesome? 

Why Is It introduced?

The main tourist attractions in Diglipur are the Ross and Smith islands, and tourists struggle their way out every year to reach the island from Port Blair. With the introduction of the train, the place not only becomes an essential part of the capital but also will be of great benefit to the tourists and the locals as they would be able to travel the coast by rail and save time.

In fact, the connection between these two regions will also have a great significance to the defence troops as Diglipur is just 300 km away from the southern coast of Myanmar and with the help of the new train, the long-distance can be easily covered. According to the Railways planning wing, this project can also help the Defense Ministry to build the strategic lines in the borders of the northeast.

The Whooping Amount Invested in the Project 

The project which is going to benefit many will be constructed with a whopping amount of INR 2,413.68 Crores. Nevertheless, there will be negative returns on investment. Even then, the Indian government has approved the plan, and the railways have agreed to the operational losses if any as they thought it to have some uniqueness and strategic importance and expecting this might boost the tourism in the place.

Massive Boon For Tourism

Andaman and Nicobar islands are one of the most famous tourist destinations attracting visitors from all around the globe. With its immense beauty, enthralling nature and spectacular beaches, the place sees more than 4 lakh tourists every other. With the introduction of the train, it will certainly see an increase in the number of tourists visiting the islands. Though it might take a lot of time to get the returns, the management is confident enough to make it up by increasing the tourist flow as the project has enormous tourism potential.  Hence, the rail line is expected to promote tourism and increase the inflow of tourists. 

With the government coming up with such an interesting initiative, aren’t you excited about planning your next trip to Andamans? Let us know in the comments below.