North Bengal awaits new trains to be flagged off by PM Modi
The Statesman | 17 January 2026
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Malda in North Bengal on January 17, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has highlighted significant expansion of railway infrastructure in the state since 2014, while Darjeeling MP and BJP national spokesperson Raju Bista announced the launch of several new train services from north Bengal, including India’s first Vande Bharat Express (Sleeper) on the Kolkata-Guwahati route.
Quoting the Prime Minister’s vision that Bengal’s participation is “indispensable” to India’s journey towards becoming a developed nation, NFR said West Bengal’s strategic location positions it as a growth engine for eastern India, the North-East and international connectivity. According to Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer of NFR, railway development in the state has moved “from stagnation to execution” following strong central leadership after 2014.
The average annual railway budget allocation for West Bengal has increased more than threefold ~ from Rs 4,380 crore during 2009-14 to Rs 13,955 crore post-2014. Railway projects worth over Rs 87,862 crore are currently under execution across the state. Since 2014, Indian Railways has constructed 1,362 km of new railway lines in West Bengal, exceeding the total rail network of the United Arab Emirates.
Major completed projects include the Mandar Hill–Rampurhat new line (130 km), which improved connectivity in Birbhum, and the Haldibari international border new line (3 km), enhancing rail connectivity with Bangladesh. Capacity augmentation projects such as Rampurhat–Murarai third line, Panskura–Kharagpur doubling, Lalgola–Jiaganj doubling and New Cooch Behar–Gumanihat doubling have eased congestion and improved operational efficiency across.
Gauge conversion works, including Barddhaman–Katwa, Ahmedpur–Katwa and New Mal Junction–Changrabandha, have further strengthened broad-gauge connectivity. Under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, 101 stations in West Bengal have been selected for redevelopment with an allocation of around Rs 3,600 crore. Panagarh, Joychandi Pahar and Kalyani Ghoshpara stations were inaugurated in May 2025.
However, NFR pointed out that several railway projects remain stalled due to land acquisition and coordination issues at the state level. In the Kolkata region, projects such as the Howrah–Amta–Bagnan new line, New Alipur–Akra doubling and Sonarpur–Canning doubling remain incomplete despite partial progress. More than 50 new line projects across coastal, industrial and rural regions—including Tarakeswar–Magra, Arambagh–Chapadangaa, Katwa–Manteswar and Diamond Harbour–Baharampur—are stalled primarily due to land acquisition delays.
“The contrast between completed and stalled projects clearly shows that infrastructure development accelerates when the Centre and the state work in coordination,” Sharma said.
Meanwhile, Darjeeling MP Raju Bista announced the Prime Minister will flag off India’s first Vande Bharat Express connecting Kolkata and Guwahati via Howrah–Malda Town–New Jalpaiguri–New Cooch Behar–New Bongaigaon–Kamakhya. The Prime Minister will also flag off six new trains from north Bengal, including Amrit Bharat Express services connecting New Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar to southern and western India.
Bista said these services would make long-distance travel more affordable and improve connectivity for the people of north Bengal. He also stated that the tender for an alternative to the Coronation Bridge has been floated, while the National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) has set 21 January as the deadline for submission of tenders for the feasibility report and DPR for an alternative highway from Siliguri to Darjeeling.
“These projects, once completed, will transform travel, tourism and accessibility in the Darjeeling hills, Terai and Dooars,” Bista said.