Overview
- Modi launched the inaugural Vande Bharat Sleeper from Malda on the Howrah–Guwahati (Kamakhya) route and virtually flagged the return service.
- He dedicated and laid foundation stones for rail and road works exceeding ₹3,250 crore in Malda, including a Balurghat–Hili rail line, upgrades at New Jalpaiguri and Siliguri, electrification in North Bengal, and NH-31D four-laning.
- The new 16-coach, fully air‑conditioned sleeper service offers about 823 berths and is presented to cut Howrah–Guwahati travel time by roughly 2.5 hours.
- On Saturday evening in Guwahati, the Prime Minister was slated to witness a Bagurumba performance by more than 10,000 Bodo artistes.
- On January 18, the itinerary includes the bhoomi pujan for the ₹6,950–6,957 crore Kaziranga elevated corridor at Kaliabor, the flag-off of Amrit Bharat Express services linking Kamakhya–Rohtak and Dibrugarh–Lucknow, and ceremonies for projects of about ₹830 crore in Singur.