Train Travel From India To Bhutan Soon As Cross-Border Rail Plan Gets Green Signal

Last Updated:September 29, 2025, 15:57 IST

India and Bhutan have agreed to develop two cross-border railway connections, one linking Banarhat to Samtse, and another connecting Kokrajhar to Gelephu.

PM Modi with his Bhutan counterpart Tshering Tobgay. (Reuters/File)

In a major development, the governments of India and Bhutan have agreed to launch two cross-border railway projects, linking Banarhat to Samtse (Bhutan) and Kokrajhar to Gelephu, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced on Monday.

The two railway lines will be connected to West Bengal’s Banarhat and Assam’s Kokrajhar. “This will be the first set of rail connectivity projects with Bhutan. The memorandum of understanding for this connectivity was actually signed during the visit of the Prime Minister to Bhutan last year,” the Foreign Secretary said at a special press briefing.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed later today in New Delhi on the occasion of Bhutan Foreign Secretary’s visit to India. This would mark the first cross-border railway projects from India to Bhutan.

“India and Bhutan share a relationship of exceptional trust, mutual respect and understanding. This is a relationship that is rooted in cultural and civilizational ties, extensive people-to-people relations and our shared developmental and security interests. These ties are reflected in very close contact at the highest levels,” Misri said.

Which Cities Would Come Under This Project?

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also addressed the special briefing, saying that the projects will connect two very important cities of Bhutan. “One is Gelephu. This is being developed as a mindfulness city. And secondly, Samtse, which is an industrial city,” he said. Samtse will be connected to West Bengal’s Banarhat and Gelephu to Assam’s Kokrajhar.

“The two projects will take off from the network of Indian railways at Kokrajhar and Banarhat. The investment which is envisaged at this point of time is about Rs 4,033 crore, and the total length of about 90 km of the railway network will be created,” Vaishnaw added.

The minister stressed that India is the largest trading partner of India and it was important to have a good, seamless railway connectivity for the “botanist economy” to grow and for their people to have better access to the global network.

Vaishnaw also said the construction period will be four years for this project, which entails six stations, two important bridges, two viaducts, 29 major bridges, 65 minor bridges, one flyover and 39 underpasses. “In a sense, by constructing about 70 km, you get the advantage of 1,50,000 km of railway network. That is the advantage which comes from the network effect,” he said.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Misri said the Indian government has committed support of Rs 10,000 crores to Bhutan for the 13th Five-Year Plan, which covers project-tied assistance, high-impact community development projects, the economic stimulus programme, and a programme grant.

About the Author

Aveek Banerjee

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international…Read More

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international… Read More

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