In a good news for travellers, South East Central Railway (SECR) is going to commence maiden train service on Nagpur-Chhindwara Broad Gauge route from February 22. The decision comes following permission from respective State authorities to restart passenger trains that got suspended during lockdown in March 2020. Apart from Chhindwara, two other services would commence, that is to Gondia ex-Itwari and to Durg ex-Gondia. Means about six pairs of passenger trains would operate in Nagpur Division.

 

These trains would run as special on special charges and for Itwari-Gondia a MEMU rake is sanctioned but for Chhindwara regular passenger train would be operated as per the communiqué from Dr S N Mukherjee, Deputy Chief Operations Manager (Coaching), SECR, Bilaspur. Among the three services, the one for Chhindwara is quite important and the erstwhile Narrow Gauge was converted to Broad Gauge but commercial train services were yet to start. Till now trains were operating just short of Chhindwara and some balance work at station arenas had remained to be completed.

 

Thereafter countrywide lockdown ensured that the services could not be resumed and now that gradually Railway Board is restarting trains, the service for Itwari-Chhindwara-Itwari got green signal. Train No. 08119 ITR-CWA fast passenger would run daily from February 22 onwards and start ex-ITR at 7.45 am and reach Chhindwara at 11.45 am. Means the distance of nearly 160 kms will be covered within four hours. The stoppages provided are Kelod, Saoner, Khaparkheda, Saunsar, Patansawangi, among others.