Imphal to enter tourism map with new railway connectivity

Noney, a small picturesque town in Imphal, is likely to be the first town in Imphal to get a railway station, thereby bringing railway connectivity to the capital city of Manipur by 2020. The 110 km Jiribam-Imphal railway line will connect Manipur to the rest of India via Silchar, Haflong, Lumding and Guwahati in Assam.
It is expected that rail connectivity will not only let tourists access this part of the north-eastern state, but will also help in the transport of agro-based products to the mainland easily. Manipur Government is also planning to promote homestays in Noney in a move to boost tourism in Northeast region. There are no hotels in Noney yet, but houses will be open for tourists as a part of the homestay initiative.

As per the reports, “The town has 650 households and around 6000 people. Instead of building hotels, the idea is to promote homestay, which will help the tourists experience the local culture. While the state government will undertake most of the work, the railways will provide the infrastructure.”
Going by the new railway plan, the project will be complete with 137 bridges and will also build the tallest girder bridge in the world at 141 m, which will also be a major tourist attraction. Reportedly, the footfall of foreign tourists in this part of the country has fallen, whereas there is a three percent increase in domestic tourist arrival.

Northeast India attracts tourists for adventure, luxury camping and eco-tourism, though Imphal still remains untapped. Speaking about this development, an official stated, “The railway line will connect Imphal to Lumding and Silchar in south Assam as well as Haflong, which is Assam's only hill station. Not only is the route ripe with avenues for tourists, it also puts the capital city on the tourism route. It will also help Manipuri products like handicrafts, bamboo, bananas to reach the other states quickly.”