Kohima: Nagaland Lok Sabha MP S Supongmeren Jamir toured the Railway Ticket Counter at the NST station in Kohima on August 27. He demanded immediate equipment upgrades and a hike in the state railway reservation quota. The capital serves as a busy transit hub for many passengers.
Jamir insisted that locals should not struggle to secure bookings or access services. The current setup is functional but outdated. He plans to meet with railway authorities in Dimapur on August 28 to push for these infrastructure improvements.
The MP emphasized the need for more seats for local travelers. He stated, "We have very less quotas, or it's just nominal only. So we also need to increase our reservation quota."
He expects the Centre to back these changes, citing the state's solid record on revenue generation. Jamir promised to bring the issue to Parliament during the winter session if the Railway Ministry fails to address these concerns. He remains firm on his goal to secure better access for the public.
Updated at 28th August 2026 at 1:50pm
The MP visited the ticket counter located at the Multi-Level Parking in Kohima. He flagged specific service gaps, noting that travelers often have to book tickets from neighboring states because trains like the Shatabdi and Nagaland Special provide insufficient quotas for local passengers.
Jamir blamed internal struggles, particularly land acquisition, for stalling the modernization of the Dimapur Railway Station. He noted that even with funds ready, work remains piecemeal because contractors lack access to the necessary land. He urged the state government to settle these disputes so projects finish on time.
Regarding broader project delays, Jamir dismissed common excuses involving weather and terrain. He argued that officials should have properly assessed soil and landslide risks during the planning phase. He pointed to successful rail projects in neighboring states like Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram to argue that poor planning, rather than nature, remains the real bottleneck.
During the visit, Assistant General Manager Metsiviko Meyase and other officials briefed the MP on specific departmental grievances to be carried to the Ministry.
Updated at 29th August 2026 at 1:49am
During a follow-up inspection at Dimapur Railway Station, Jamir revealed that the ambitious project to upgrade the facility to world-class standards is lagging badly. Only 7.5 percent of the work is finished, despite one-third of the three-year construction window already gone.
Jamir blamed the delay on unresolved land disputes, noting that patta holders are asserting rights over designated project areas. He cautioned that a fully upgraded station is pointless without a functional double-line connection, a project currently stalled at zero progress due to similar land acquisition and encroachment hurdles. He urged village authorities and state officials to accelerate joint surveys to clear these blockades.
Beyond construction, the MP flagged inconvenient train timings that force passengers to travel during dead-of-night hours. He specifically pushed for the revival of the Nagaland Express between Dimapur and Guwahati, a service scrapped during the pandemic that once offered a convenient morning departure and evening return.
Updated at 29th August 2026 at 9:47am
Jamir revealed that a state-led joint verification team has tagged 109 patta holders within the project site. He noted that these landowners have already met with the Union Railway Minister, and a favorable outcome from that meeting could break the current deadlock. While the state government pushed for compensation packages, the Ministry of Railways has yet to state its official position on the payouts.
To jumpstart the stalled double-line project, the MP called for direct intervention from village councils and tribal chiefs. He pointed out that while government surveyors mapped cadastral land, significant tracts of non-cadastral land remain unassessed. Without buy-in from local village leadership to finalize these surveys, the project faces continued paralysis.
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