Five new rail line projects with Nepal and Bangladesh, totalling 125 kilometers, are currently in progress. The total cost of the projects is estimated at Rs 2,722 crore. 60 km of the 125 km of new rail line projects have already been put into operation as of March 2023, at a cost of Rs 1,729 crore.
Balurghat-Hill New Line, Jogbani-Biratnagar (Nepal), Agartala-Akhaura (Bangladesh), Mahisasan (India-Zero Point, Bangladesh), and Jaynagar-Bijalpura, including an extension from Bijalpura-Bardibas (Nepal), are the new rail line projects along the international borders.
The Agartala-Akhaura (Bangladesh) broad gauge railway is a project of national importance, according to the railway minister, and the Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region is funding the development of the Indian component.
The Raxaul-Kathmandu cross-border railway project is the most significant project. According to India’s External Affairs Minister Subramanium Jaishankar, once it is finished, it will be simple to connect Kathmandu to India. Raxaul in Champaran, Bihar, will be the starting point for the railway line. It will then travel through Birgunj, Nijgarh Sinsneri, and Khokna in the Lalitpur region close to Kathmandu. (As per New Indian Express).
