Who else can play the great role as integrator in this Vast country except Indian Railways? Whether accepted or not it is the tying string of all the various colorful flowers of this diversified country. In it's venture as the BIG DOST of this country men Indian Railways unvieled on 19th November the longest train journey of the country which counts as the 8th longest in the world..

Union Minister of Development of North Eastern Region Paban Singh Ghatowar flagged off the inaugural train run of the Vivek Express at Dibrugarh station , a new weekly train that now boasts the longest rail route in the country – 4,286 km all the way from Dibrugarh in upper Assam, to Kanyakumari at the southern tip of Tamil Nadu, that will be covered in 82.30 hours.  in the presence of Assam Revenue Minister Prithibi Majhi and General Manager of North East Frontier Railway Keshav Chandra.

This train left in the morning, but the regular weekly service, which will begin on November 26, will leave at 11.45 p.m. every Saturday, reaching its destination at 10.25 a.m. on Wednesday. 

Before this, the Himsagar Express running between Jammu Tawi and Kanyakumari had the longest run, covering 3,715 km.

Hundreds of Malayalee families living in Assam and other Northeastern states are equally excited about the new weekly train.  

Members of the Kerala Samajam of Dimapur are planning to give a befitting welcome to the train when it arrives at Dimapur station on November 27, the day after the regular service begins.

The new train will serve tourists, people who travel from the northeast to southern India for medical treatment, and students and youth from the region studying and working in the southern States, besides those from the south working in the northeast.

A good number of people from Kerala work in the northeast in various defence establishments such as the Border Security Force and the Border Roads Organisation and in oil companies. Many are teachers. Some are associated with the church.

In recent years, a large number of youth from Assam and other northeastern States have been migrating to the southern States, in search of jobs. Many are employed in factories, restaurants and shopping malls.

(Images Source : The Hindu)