Union railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday announced projects worth ₹4,033 crore to connect two of Bhutan’s major cities via new railway lines with India. In a bid to strengthen India’s relations with the landlocked Bhutan, Vaishnaw, along with foreign secretary Vikram Misri, revealed that the new railway lines will connect West Bengal and Assam with Bhutan’s Gelephu and Samtse. The project is expected to entirely be funded by India.

“The two projects will take off from the network of Indian Railways at Kokrajhar and Banarhat. The investment, which is envisaged at this point in time, is about ₹ 4,033 crore. To be precise, 89 kilometres of railway network will be created,” Vaishnaw said during a media briefing on Monday.

The first railway line will be the 69-kilometre-long Kokrajhar–Gelephu line that will connect Bhutan’s Sarpang with Assam’s Kokrajhar and Chirang. This railway line is expected to be operational in 4 years with an investment of ₹3,456 crore. Meanwhile, the 20-kilometre-long Banarhat–Samtse line will link West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri to Bhutan’s Samtse. This line will be built with an investment of ₹577 crore in 3 years.

“Banarhat-Samtse (Bhutan) New Rail Line is a very important project because it connects the industrial city of Samtse,” Vaishnaw added.

These projects are expected to provide Bhutan with its first-ever railway connectivity with India, linking Bhutan to India’s extensive 1.50 lakh km rail network.

India remains Bhutan’s largest trading partner, and with these new projects, the rail connectivity is expected to only boost trade and access to global markets for Bhutan.

Both goods and passenger trains, including those designed in line with Vande Bharat trains' cutting-edge technology, and fully electrified trains, will run through these railway lines, Vaishnaw shared.

This is part of India’s major commitment to invest over ₹10,000 crore to support its neighbouring nation’s 13th Five-Year Plan that will run through 2024 and 2029.