India halts ₹5,000-crore cross-border rail projects amid Bangladesh unrest; new routes via Nepal, Bhutan eyed: Report

Citing political unrest in Bangladesh and safety concerns for workers, India has halted a series of cross-border railway projects aimed at linking the seven northeastern states with the mainland via the neighbouring nation, a media report said.

Nearly ₹5,000 crore worth of project funding and construction activities have been suspended, halting at least three active projects and survey work on five others, reported The Hindu Business Line.

The railway projects were crucial for linking northeastern states through Bangladesh's railway network and were aimed at easing dependence on the narrow Siliguri Corridor, which links the region to mainland India.

The stalled railway projects are Akhaura-Agartala Cross-Border Rail Link and Khulabura-Sahabajpur rail line laying; Khulna-Mongla Port Rail Line; and the Dhaka–Tongi–Joydebpur rail expansion project.

The Akhaura–Agartala Cross-Border Rail Link project was going on with India’s assistance of nearly ₹400 crore extended to Bangladesh. It is 12.24 km long, with a 6.78 km dual-gauge rail line in Bangladesh and 5.46 km in Tripura.

The Khulabura-Sahabajpur rail line, part of the Akhaura–Agartala project, was intended to improve connectivity to Assam.

The Khulna-Mongla Port Rail Line project, being developed under the concessional Line of Credit with a total project cost of $388.92 million ( ₹3,300 crore), entails the construction of approximately 65 km of broad-gauge rail route between Bangladesh’s Mongla Port and the existing rail network in Khulna.

The Dhaka-Tongi-Joydebpur railway expansion project, due for completion in June 2027, has seen delayed execution of less than 50 per cent till last year, the Business Line report said.

Alternative routes

New Delhi is exploring alternative routes through Bhutan and Nepal to bolster rail infrastructure in North India.

“ ₹3500 – 4000 crore connectivity plan through Bhutanand Nepal is being explored, but construction work on the Indian sides is going on as planned,” the report said, citing sources.

Simultaneously, New Delhi is exploring the possibility of rail line doubling and quadrupling in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, key arteries feeding into the Siliguri Corridor.