Northeast gets Rs 11,486 crore rail budget push; Kokrajhar-Gelephu link in focus

Guwahati, Feb 2: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, on Monday, said that over Rs 11,400 crore has been allocated for the northeastern states under his ministry in the Union Budget.

Citing the five-fold increase from the allocation about a decade ago, he said a “new dimension” for the Northeast in the railways sector is unfolding.

Addressing the press via video conference, Vaishnaw said, “In Budget 2026-27, Rs 11,486 crore has been allocated for the northeastern states. Besides, projects worth Rs 72,468 crore are already underway in the region.”

Adding that work on ongoing projects is progressing well, he said that the new Kokrajhar-Gelephu railway link, connecting Bhutan is a major one in the region, alongside projects aimed at strengthening intra-regional connectivity.

“Mizoram has been connected with railways network. The project in Manipur has resumed after a brief hiatus. The one to connect Kohima (Nagaland) is ongoing. Proposals for increased railway connectivity in Arunachal Pradesh are in an advanced stage,” Vaishnaw informed.

In November 2025, during his visit to Bhutan, Prime Minister Modi had said that two major railway projects will soon connect Bhutan to India’s extensive rail network.

The Prime Minister said the new links, Kokrajhar–Gelephu and Banarhat–Samtse, will open up Bhutan’s first-ever railway connectivity, easing trade and travel between the two countries.

Announced by Vaishnaw and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in September, the projects, worth Rs 4,033 crore, will be fully funded by the Government of India.

“A new dimension for the Northeast is unfolding and the progress of the projects has been good,” he added.

The Union Minister also said environmental-related aspects are being kept in mind while implementing the projects in the region.

Referring to elephant’s corridors and movement on railway tracks, he said intensive detection technology and AI-based thermal cameras are being deployed to ensure that the pachyderms are detected in advance.

Bullet train corridor extended to Guwahati

Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) general manager Chetan Kumar Shrivastava, sharing details on impact of Budget announcements for the region, said the high-speed corridor that has been declared till Siliguri now will be extended to Guwahati in the future.

Shrivastava said that 96% of track electrification has been completed under NFR, with a stretch in Lumding-Badarpur section yet to be done.

“Important trains like the Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express and Vivek Express (Dibrugarh to Kanyakumari) are running on end-to-end on electric traction,” he added.

Under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, 60 stations in the region are being redeveloped, while NE has seen construction of over 360 rail flyovers and under-bridges since 2014.

Surveys are on for several new projects, including for new bridges over the Brahmaputra River, to enhance passenger as well as freight movement across the Northeast, the GM added.

PTI