Overview

• Two lines will connect Banarhat to Samtse and Kokrajhar to Gelephu, creating about 89–90 km of new rail links.
• The outlay is ₹4,033 crore, with Indian Railways funding Indian sections and Bhutan segments financed from India’s ₹10,000 crore support to Bhutan’s 13th Five-Year Plan.
• Kokrajhar–Gelephu is targeted for completion in roughly four years with six stations and extensive bridges and viaducts, while Banarhat–Samtse is planned over three years with two stations and multiple flyovers and underpasses.
• A formal agreement was slated to be signed in New Delhi during the Bhutanese foreign secretary’s visit following an MoU concluded during Prime Minister Modi’s 2024 Bhutan trip.
• Officials said work, including land acquisition and border check posts, will begin soon, and reports suggesting operations in 2025 conflict with the announced multi-year schedule.