The Indian government has decided to build two cross-border railway projects, connecting Bhutan with the bordering states of Assam and West Bengal. This will be the first rail link between the Himalayan nation and India, and is expected to boost both ties and trade, according to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Vaishnaw said on Monday that the two projects include a 69 km line connecting Kokrajhar in Assam to Gelephu in Bhutan and a 20 km line connecting Banarhat in West Bengal to Samtse in Bhutan. They will cost a total of ₹345 crore and ₹5,707 crore, respectively.

This will be of great significance since Gelephu is being developed as a mindfulness city and Samtse as an industrial town. India, being the largest trading partner of Bhutan, has to route its goods through Indian ports.

“Therefore, it becomes very important to have seamless railway connectivity…,” said Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. The Railway Board Chairman, Satish Kumar, and Bhutan’s Foreign Secretary signed a formal inter-governmental Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the establishment of the railway link.

“On the Kokrajhar–Gelephu line, there will be six stations, two important bridges, 29 major bridges, 65 minor bridges, two goods sheds, one flyover, and 39 underpasses. The construction period for the project is four years,” informed Vaishnaw.

Strategic Importance

The Banarhat–Samtse line will have two stations and 37 underpasses and will be completed in three years, according to the minister. The Samtse line will cover 2.13 km on the Bhutan side and 17.42 km on the Indian side, while the Gelephu line will cover 2.39 km in Bhutan and 66.66 km in India.

“Both projects will facilitate movement of passengers and goods. It will provide better economic and employment opportunities for the people of the region,” said Vaishnaw. He also further informed that the fully electrified lines will have modern equipment and will run modern trains like Vande Bharat, including an advanced signalling system.

The Indian Foreign Secretary also highlighted the strategic importance of the project and said that it will enhance the overall connectivity between the two countries.

“The Gelephu is the centrepiece of the Gelephu Mindfulness City… a project envisioned as an economic hub for that part of Bhutan. Since it is at the border, the project will have a spinoff effect for the entire region.”

Misri also said that the segment of the project falling on the Indian side will be funded by the Railway Ministry, and the line on the Bhutan side will be funded under the support of Bhutan‘s 13th Five-Year Plan from India