Latest news with #Akhaura-AgartalaCross-BorderRailLink
Mint
22-04-2025
- Business
- Mint
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. New Delhi is exploring alternative routes through Bhutan and Nepal to bolster rail infrastructure in North India. ' ₹ 3500 – 4000 crore connectivity plan through Bhutan and Nepal is being explored, but construction work on the Indian sides is going on as planned,' the report said, citing sources.
Mint
22-04-2025
- Business
- Mint
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. New Delhi is exploring alternative routes through Bhutan and Nepal to bolster rail infrastructure in North India. ' ₹ 3500 – 4000 crore connectivity plan through Bhutan and 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. First Published: 22 Apr 2025, 04:33 PM IST
India.com
21-04-2025
- Business
- India.com
Big move by Modi govt as it halts Rs 5000 crore railway connectivity projects in Bangladesh due to..., explores alternate routes in...
The Narendra Modi government has suspended key rail projects in Bangladesh. (File) India-Bangladesh relations: Amid the rapid decline in India-Bangladesh relations since the fall of Sheikh Hasina in August last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government has reportedly halted the construction and funding several railway connectivity projects in Bangladesh worth around Rs 5,000 crore. India suspends rail projects in Bangladesh According to a report by The Hindu BusinessLine, the Indian government has cited concerns over the ongoing 'political turmoil' and 'safety of labour' in Bangladesh as the major reasons for cutting off funding for the rail projects that were part of an initiative to enhance connectivity between mainland India and the country's seven northeastern states via the neighbouring country. But construction work on the projects has now been suspended and funding stopped, due to the current unrest and security uncertainties in Bangladesh, the report said, adding that India is now exploring alternative transit routes via other neighbouring countries, such as Bhutan and Nepal. As per the report, three rail projects– the Akhaura-Agartala Cross-Border Rail Link, the Khulna-Mongla Port Rail Line, and the Dhaka-Tongi-Joydebpur rail expansion– have been suspended, while surveys for five other proposed rail routes have been put on hold. Indian Railways focusing on expanding existing infra The Indian Railways is now focusing to expand rail infrastructure within the country, especially the through the strategic Siliguri Corridor, aka the 'Chicken's Neck' corridor in West Bengal. Accelerated efforts are underway to efforts to double or quadruple existing rail lines in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, key regions that connect to the Siliguri Corridor, a senior railway official was quoted as saying. The official said that survey work for these expansions is already underway, and the railways is also exploring new rail corridors through Nepal and Bhutan, leveraging existing agreements such as the India-Nepal rail pact and Bhutan's geographical proximity to India's northeast. India-Bangladesh relations India-Bangladesh relations have hit an all-time low after the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, coming to the helm in Dhaka. Widespread communal violence against minorities in Bangladesh, especially Hindus, which has soured Dhaka's ties with New Delhi, with the latter accusing the Yunus-led interim government of not doing enough, and turning a blind eye to the atrocities perpetrated by radical Islamist elements against the minority Hindu community in the country.
