New Delhi: India will construct two cross-border railway lines connecting Assam and West Bengal with Bhutan, marking the first-ever rail connectivity projects with the Himalayan nation.
The initiative, costing over Rs. 4,000 crore, is aimed at deepening trade and economic ties between the two neighbours.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri jointly announced the projects on Monday, noting that the lines will link Kokrajhar in Assam with Gelephu in Bhutan, and Banarhat in West Bengal with Samtse.
Together, the two projects will cover 89 km of new tracks and are expected to be completed within four years.
The larger of the two lines, from Kokrajhar to Gelephu, will stretch 69 km—of which 2.39 km lies inside Bhutan—and will cost Rs. 3,456 crore.
The alignment will include six stations, 29 major bridges, 65 minor bridges, two viaducts, two goodsheds, one road-over-bridge and 39 road-under-bridges.
The second project, Banarhat to Samtse, will be 20 km long with two intermediate stations and is estimated at Rs. 577 crore, to be completed in three years.
“These will be the first set of railway links with Bhutan,” Misri said, underscoring that the projects reflect the “exceptional trust, mutual respect, and shared developmental interests” binding the two countries.
He pointed out that the agreements were finalised during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bhutan last year.
Vaishnaw stressed the economic significance of the links, highlighting that most of Bhutan’s exports and imports flow through Indian ports.
“Seamless connectivity will not only help Bhutan’s economy grow but also provide better access to the global market,” he said, adding that Gelephu and Samtse are central to Bhutan’s long-term economic planning.
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India has also pledged support of Rs. 10,000 crore for Bhutan’s 13th Five-Year Plan (2024–2029), double the assistance offered in the previous plan.
The commitment includes project-tied funding, community development initiatives, and economic stimulus measures.
The announcement comes at a time when Bhutan faces increasing strategic interest from China, adding further weight to India’s push to strengthen bilateral infrastructure and developmental cooperation.
