India, Bhutan to establish first rail link with ₹4,033 cr outlay over 3 yrs

India and Bhutan will build Rs 4,033 crore rail links from Gelephu and Samtse within three years, connecting to Indian Railways to strengthen trade, cargo and passenger movement

India on Monday announced first-ever rail connections with Bhutan which will be built at a cost of ₹4,033 crore over the course of next three years.

 

In a joint briefing, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced two rail links -- Kokrajhar-Gelephu and Banarhat-Samtse. While Kokrajhar is in Assam, Banarhat is a small town in West Bengal.

 

“This project will connect two very important cities of Bhutan including Gelephu which is being developed as

 

a mindfulness city, and Samtse, which is an industrial city. The two projects will take off from the network of Indian railways at Kokrajhar and Banarhat,” Vaishnaw said during a press briefing ahead of the signing of the agreement.

 

The projects will involve creation of 89 kilometres of railway network and will be set up as priority links boosting connectivity.

 

Samtse, which borders West Bengal, is being developed as an industrial town in Bhutan for manufacturing and export. The two links will be critical for enhancing cargo and passenger movement.

 

India and Bhutan have earlier worked on road and digital connectivity, integrated check-posts and trade routes, apart from new immigration points.

 

“In order to facilitate the movement of third country nationals, an integrated check post was inaugurated at Darranga in Assam in November 2024. We feel Bhutan will also benefit from the development of the Jogighopha Inland Waterways Transport Terminal,” Misri said.

 

India has been Bhutan’s largest provider of developmental assistance and has played a vital role in its modernisation, especially in the areas of infrastructure and the overall economic development of the country.

 

“For the 13th Five-Year Plan of Bhutan, which runs from 2024 to 2029, the Government of India has committed support of ₹10,000 crore, which covers project-wide assistance, high-impact community development projects, the economic stimulus program and a program grant. And this quantum constitutes a 100 per cent increase over the 12th five-year plan figures,” said Misri.

 

Bihar gets new Amrit Bharat trains

 

Rail minister Vaishnaw also flagged off new trains in Bihar, including three Amrit Bharat Express trains, on Monday. The new trains will boost infrastructure connectivity for Bihar and offer passengers enhanced travel services. With the inauguration of the new trains, the state now has 26 Amrit Bharat Express services operational out of the 30 services running across the country.   . 

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