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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2016}}
{{Infobox station
| name = Agartala
| other_name =
| type = [[Indian Railways]] station [[Regional rail]], [[Light rail]]
| style = Indian Railways
| image = Agartala Station.jpg
| caption = Front view of Agartala railway station
| address = [[Badharghat]], [[West Tripura]] [[Tripura]]
| country = India
| coordinates = {{coord|23|47|34|N|91|16|42|E|type:railwaystation_region:IN|display=inline,title}}
| elevation = {{convert|25|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| owned = [[Indian Railways]]
| operator = [[Northeast Frontier Railway zone|Northeast Frontier Railways]]
| line = [[Lumding–Sabroom section]]
| connections = [[Auto rickshaw]], Bus
| structure = Standard (on-ground station)
| platform = 3
| tracks = 15<ref name="indiatimes">{{cite web |date= 2016 |url= http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/NFR-to-wind-up-27-metre-gauge-trains-by-Oct-1/articleshow/43650053.cms |title= 6 Months' Time for Broad Gauge Conversion|website=Timesofindia.indiatimes.com|accessdate=2017-08-01}}</ref>
| parking = Available
| opened = {{start date and age|2008}}
| closed =
| rebuild =
| code = {{Indian railway code
| code = AGTL
| zone = [[Northeast Frontier Railway zone]]
| division = {{rwd|Lumding}}
}}
| status = Active
| former =
| rebuilt = {{start date and age|2016}}
| electrified = No
| passengers = 10,000 (approx)
| mpassengers =
| pass_system =
| pass_year =
| pass_percent =
| services = {{s-rail|title=Indian Railways}}
{{s-line|system=Indian Railways|previous=Sekerkote|next=Jogendranagar|line=Northeast Frontier Railway zone|branch= [[Lumding–Sabroom section]] |rows1=1}}
| map_type = India Tripura
| map_dot_label = Agartala
}}

'''Agartala railway station''' is located {{cvt|5.5|km}} from [[Agartala]] in [[Tripura]], India. It is the second capital city (after [[Guwahati]], [[Assam]]) in northeast India to be connected to the country's railway map, moreover Agartala is the first state capital of independent India to be connected with a rail network.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/tripura-on-broad-gauge-railway-map-link-to-bangladesh-laid/273934.html|title=Tripura on broad-gauge railway map; link to Bangladesh laid|website=Tribune India|accessdate=2017-08-01}}</ref> Before 2015 the {{convert|413|km |adj=on}} route was connected to [[Lumding]] with a [[metre-gauge]] track, but after the gauge conversion to [[broad gauge]] in 2016, the track is connected directly to Guwahati and the rest of India.

From Agartala an under-construction track has been on the way for a connection towards the extreme [[South Tripura|Southern]] end point of the state at [[Sabroom]], which has been completed on 3 October 2019. A total of 21 constructed stations and few under-construction stations in the state, with {{stnlnk|Churaibari}} being the last one through the [[North Tripura|Northern side]] and {{stnlnk|Sabroom}} (functioning & completed) in the Southern side. The total length of track from the capital towards the North region's last station is approx. {{cvt|153|km}}, after which the territory of Assam starts. There are a lot of transportation modes available to reach the city from the station.

== History ==
The northeastern state capital came on India's railmap with the advent of the railways in the [[subcontinent]] in 1853. The foundation stone of the {{convert|119|km|adj=on |abbr=in}} [[Kumarghat]]–[[Agartala]] railway project was laid in 1996 by the former Prime Minister [[H. D. Deve Gowda]], and during the laying of rail lines, provisions were kept for swiftly converting it to broad gauge. 40 years time was taken by the Government since then to connect Agartala by rail.
{{stack|[[File:Agartala Railway Station.jpg|thumb|The main railway station in Agartala, Tripura]]}}

==Construction==
According to Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, the NFR had "spent Rs 900 crore ($190 million) to connect Agartala by rail by making three tunnels through the Longtharai Valley, Baramura and Atharamura Hills in Dhalai and West Tripura districts. The {{convert|1,962|m|adj=on}} Longtharai tunnel is the longest railway tunnel in eastern India."<ref name=worldjute.com>{{cite web|last=The Economic Times|title=Agartala comes up on Indian railway map|url=http://www.worldjute.com/wj_railjanjun08.html|work=Indian Railways News January -June 2008|publisher=Worldjute.com|accessdate=12 April 2013}}</ref> The architecture of the station resembles [[Ujjayanta Palace]].

==Broad-gauge==
Agartala was scheduled to get broad-gauge facility by March 2016. Works for conversion in BG from a small metre-gauge track from Lumding to Silchar in Assam was completed in March 2015 Freight services to Agartala had already resumed by then.
It was 31 July 2016 when [[Suresh Prabhu]] the then [[Ministry of Railways (India)|Railway Minister of India]] inaugurated the [[Agartala]]–[[New Delhi]] ‘[[Tripura Sundari Express]]’,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thewire.in/55311/agartala-delhi-broad-gauge-rail/|title=Suresh Prabhu Inaugurates Agartala-Delhi Broad Gauge Rail Line}}</ref> linking the broad gauge with the rest of India. On 28 October 2017 [[Rajdhani Express]] was inaugurated from Agartala to [[Anand Vihar Terminal]].
{{stack|[[File:Agartala Railway Tracks.jpg|thumb|Main tracks at Agartala railway station]]}}

==Link with Bangladesh==
Government of Bangladesh and Government of India signed a [[Memorandum of Understanding]] (MoU) on 21 May 2013 for linking Agartala and [[Akhaura]] railway stations to connect [[Bangladesh Railway]] with the northeastern states.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/Work-on-Agartala-Akhaura-rail-link-to-commence-soon/articleshow/36756922.cms|title=Work on Agartala-Akhaura rail link to commence soon |website=Timesofindia.indiatimes.com|accessdate=2017-08-01}}</ref> The total length of the track will be 15.054 km, of which only 5 km falls on the Indian side with the remaining track in Bangladesh. The tracks would be laid in [[metre gauge]] on broad-gauge format so that it could be converted into broad gauge when necessary.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/agartala-akhaura-rail-link-work-to-start-soon_850576.html|title=Agartala-Akhaura rail link work to start soon|date=24 May 2013|website=Zeenews India|accessdate=2017-08-01}}</ref>
The project is funded by India and is expected to cost around Rs 271 crore.

==Major trains==
*[[Agartala–Anand Vihar Terminal Tejas Rajdhani Express]]
*[[Agartala-Bengalore Summer Special Express]]
*[[Tripura Sundari Express]] (Suspended due to COVID-19)
*[[Agartala-Sealdah Festivel Special Express]]
*[[Deoghar–Agartala Weekly Express]]
*[[Agartala-Silchar Special Express]]

===Passenger trains===
*[[Agartala–Dharmanagar Passenger]]
*[[Agartala-Sabroom DEMU Special]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.nfr.indianrailways.gov.in Indian Railways site]
* [http://www.irfca.org Indian railway fan club]

{{Railway stations in Tripura}}

[[Category:Railway stations in West Tripura district]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Agartala]]
[[Category:Railway stations opened in 2008]]
[[Category:Lumding railway division]]
[[Category:Transport in Agartala]]

Agartala railway station - Revision history

imported>Citation bot at 03:12, 16 August 2021