In a historic milestone for the tribal district of Gadchiroli, the Railway Board has approved the first-ever daily passenger train service to Armori, 78 years after Independence. Fulfilling a long-pending demand of the backward and Naxal-affected district, the Ministry of Railways has cleared extension of MEMU services up to Armori, bringing Gadchiroli onto the daily suburban rail map of India for the first time.

 

As per Railway Board order on October 10, two MEMU services have been extended on a most urgent basis: First, 68806 Gondia-Wadsa MEMU extended up to Armori - It will now run as Gondia-Armori MEMU, leaving Gondia at 07:10 pm and reaching Armori at 10 pm via Wadsa (Arr 09:30 pm / Dep 09:35 pm). Second, 68808 Wadsa-Chanda Fort MEMU to originate from Armori - It will now run as 68808 Armori-Chanda Fort MEMU, leaving Armori at 6:30 am and reaching Chanda Fort at 09:55 am via Wadsa (Arr 07:05 am / Dep 07:15 am). Maintenance will be at Gondia MEMU Shed with Round Trip Brake Power Certificate (RBPC). The Board has directed South East Central Railway (SECR) / Bilaspur to run the services from an early convenient date, with inaugural service as a special and wide publicity. For thousands of daily wage labourers, farm workers, students and small traders of Armori, Wadsa and Gadchiroli who depended on costly private buses, the affordable MEMU ticket will be a lifeline and a new beginning of development.