The new railway project connecting Assam's Kokrajhar and Bhutan's Gelephu has been fast-tracked, according to the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), with the final locational survey completed and the detailed project report submitted to the government for approval. The railway line is set to substantially strengthen India-Bhutan relations by enhancing trade, tourism, and cultural exchanges, while also providing Bhutan with its first-ever railway link and greatly improving regional connectivity, highlighted NFR. 

The proposed 69.04 km railway line, with an estimated cost of ₹3,500 crore (around $410,000), is set to support Assam in leveraging Bhutan’s ambitious Gelephu Mindfulness City project, which aspires to become a global economic hub emphasizing holistic living. 

The project will lay down the rail track and involve the construction of six new stations-Balajan, Garubhasa, Runikhata, Shantipur, Dadgiri (all in Assam’s Bodoland Territorial Region), and Gelephu in Bhutan. The infrastructure plan also includes 31 major bridges, 65 minor bridges, a road overbridge, 39 road underbridges, and two viaducts.  

Related links 

Project report on Assam-Bhutan railway line submitted

DPR for first-ever railway link to Bhutan from Assam completed: NFR