Maligaon-headquartered Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) is continuing freight operations round-the-clock to ensure supply of essential commodities and a total of eight rakes were unloaded on March 26th, 2020 and another 44 freight trains entered the zone on March 27th, 2020

The Ministry of Railways has decided to extend the cancellation of passenger train services on entire Indian Railways, in continuation of the measures taken in the wake of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak till midnight of April 14th, 2020.

“Essential staffs of NFR are working day and night to run freight train services throughout its jurisdiction ferrying essential commodities like salt, sugar, food grains, petroleum products etc for the public distribution system,” Subhanan Chanda, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of NFR.

He added, “The NFR is also carrying items like potatoes, milk, vegetables, fertilizers and food-grains transported by private businessmen so that there is no shortage of these commodities in the market for the need of common people.”

In NFR area, eight freight rakes loaded with essential items were unloaded in various goods sidings on March 27th, 2020; while two rakes of petroleum products and one rake of coal were loaded for transportation.

Freight trains loaded with food grains were unloaded at Batnaha, New Jalpaiguri, Maldah Court sidings under Katihar division and Udaipur in Lumding division, salt was unloaded at Barpeta Road under Rangiya division, wheat was unloaded at Silchar and sugar at Jirania stations under Lumding division, potato was unloaded at New Tinsukia under Tinsukia division. “44 more freight loaded trains are expected to enter the NFR system on March 28th, 2020,” Chanda said.

Chanda further shared that a few women employees working in the Mechanical Department of Katihar Division volunteered to manufacture face masks from home.

Photo credit: NFR