A railway project connecting Assam’s Kokrajhar and Bhutan’s Gelephu has been fast-tracked, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said on Saturday (March 1, 2025).
Less than a week after Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the new Assam-Bhutan railway line to improve cross-border connectivity and strengthen bilateral ties, the NFR said the final locational survey has been completed, and the detailed project report has been submitted to the government for approval and further action.
The proposed 69.04 km railway line, expected to help industry-wooing Assam capitalise on Bhutan’s ambitious Gelephu Mindfulness City project planned as a global economic hub with holistic living, is estimated to cost ₹3,500 crore.
Apart from the track, the project includes the development of six new stations – Balajan, Garubhasa, Runikhata, Shantipur, and Dadgiri (all in western Assam’s Bodoland Territorial Region) and Gelephu. The infrastructure plan also features 31 major bridges, 65 minor bridges, a road overbridge, 39 road underbridges and two viaducts of 11-metre length.
“The proposed railway line will significantly strengthen India-Bhutan relations by enhancing trade, tourism, and cultural exchanges between the two nations. It will also improve connectivity, providing Bhutan with its first-ever railway link, facilitating seamless transportation,” an NFR spokesperson said.
