The Assam Chief Minister, Mr Tarun Gogoi has requested Union Railway Minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee to create a new railway zone exclusively for the North Eastern region.<br/>In a letter to Ms Banerjee, the Assam Chief Minister has requested for inclusion of this demand in the next Railway Budget in the interests of the North East and its people. Mr Gogoi while appreciating the interests taken by her to improve railway services in the North East including Assam said one of the major causes of backwardness of the region was lack of connectivity and that the proposals, if considered, would go a long way in improving connectivity in the region.<br/>The Chief Minister has requested introduction of new Daily Duronto trains between Guwahati-Delhi, Guwahati-Bangalore, Guwahati-Kolkata, Super Fast trains between Guwahati-Mumbai via Nagpur (daily), Guwahati-Goa and Dibrugarh-Trivandrum (both bi-weekly). He pleaded with the Railway Minister for electrification of railway lines between Bongaigaon-Kamakhya via Jogighopa and Guwahati-Dibrugarh.<br/>Double tracking of Railways connecting Assam and extending it up to the Guwahati-Tinsukia section, upgradation of New Bongaigaon and Dibrugarh Railway Workshops for manufacturing coaches and wagons, development of alternate terminus at Narengi for easing of congestion of passengers and traffic, construction of a road parallel to railway track in Guwahati, provision of railway track in the second Saraighat Bridge, development of alternate railway facility at Cinnamara in Jorhat as the second most important town of the State, besides expeditious implementation of ongoing railway projects like Bogibeel Bridge, Lumding-Badarpur-Silchar gauge conversion and Rangia-Murkongselek gauge conversion are some of the other proposals put forth by the Chief Minister to the Railway Minister for inclusion in the coming Railway Budget. Mr Gogoi also requested Ms Banerjee for a Railway Museum at Guwahati to commemorate Assam’s place in the railway history of the country.<br/>