Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: India and Bhutan will soon be further linked by rail. The two countries on September 29 agreed to build two new 89-km railway lines and announced the signing of memorandums of understanding (MoUs). The projects will cost a total of Rs 4,033 crore.
The first project, the Kokrajhar (Assam)-Gelephu (Bhutan) railway line, was announced at a joint press conference by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in New Delhi. Vaishnav said it will be 69 km long and will involve an investment of Rs 3,456 crore. It will be completed in four years.
This line will benefit Kokrajhar and Chirang districts of Assam and Sarpang district of Bhutan. Upon completion, the project will facilitate increased passenger and freight traffic. The Gelephu region of Bhutan is currently being developed as a “Mindfulness City.” The new rail line will further enhance the city’s importance and could become a new hub of economic activity between India and Bhutan.
He said that the Kokrajhar Regional Station will be connected to major industrial centres like New Bongaigaon, thereby connecting it to the entire Indian railway network. This new construction of approximately 70 km will directly benefit the 1.5 lakh- km- long Indian railway network. The project will develop six stations, two major bridges, two viaducts, 29 major and 65 minor bridges, 39 underpasses, one flyover, and two sheds.
