Aizawl & Guwahati get additional trains to ease Xmas travel rush: MP

Aizawl: The lone Rajya Sabha member from Mizoram, K Vanlalvena, on Thursday said the ministry of railways has made arrangements for additional train services between Aizawl and Guwahati to tide over problems being faced by travellers during Christmas.Vanlalvena told TOI that the special train will leave Guwahati on Monday and return to Guwahati from Aizawl (Sairang train station) on Tuesday and again leave Guwahati on Wednesday and return from Aizawl on Thursday. “The two special train services will have 14 coaches each,” he said.The MP said people from Delhi, Guwahati and other places who failed to get train tickets, due to unavailability of seats in the trains, can avail the special train services between Guwahati and Aizawl.Vanlalvena has said he tried to raise the issue in the Rajya Sabha that many people belonging to Mizoram and neighbouring Manipur have been facing acute difficulties due to shortage of seats in the trains plying between Aizawl and cities such as Guwahati, Delhi and Kolkata due to more travellers, especially trying to spend Christmas in Mizoram and Manipur.Ethnic Mizos belonging to hill areas of Manipur cannot travel via Imphal due to ethnic strife and have been going through Mizoram.

“As I was not allotted time to raise the issue during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, I met the minister for railways Ashwini Vaishnaw at his office in Delhi on Monday to arrange special trains for Mizoram from Delhi,” he said. Though special/additional trains between Delhi and Aizawl are not arranged, Guwahati-Aizawl special trains will help in solving the problems of many travellers.