The Indian government has approved the construction of a fourth railway line in the strategically important ‘Chicken’s Neck’ or Siliguri corridor, North East Frontier Railway (NFR) General Manager Chetan Kumar Srivastava said at a press conference.
He said, “The Malda-New Jalpaiguri railway line is a very important rail corridor in connecting the northeastern region with the rest of India. Considering its strategic importance, the green signal has been given to the fourth line in addition to the previously proposed third line.”
Apart from this, he mentioned that the construction project of a double-line underground railway, approximately 29 kilometers long, from Tinmai Ghat to Bagdogra is also an important infrastructure initiative.
Srivastava said, considering the strategic importance of the region, special emphasis is being given to increasing the capacity of this rail corridor. Once the projects are completed, the entire rail corridor will change its face and the area will also be developed in a more planned manner.
The ‘Chicken’s Neck’ is a stretch of land in North Bengal, West Bengal, about 20-22 km wide and 60 km long. The entire Northeast India depends on it for transportation. Along with this corridor, work is underway to double the line in the Barsoi section and to expand the infrastructure in the Katihar division.
Meanwhile, work is underway to double the railway line in the Barsoi section, said the NFR General Manager. Work is also underway to expand railway infrastructure in various areas of Katihar division to handle the increasing pressure of passenger and goods transport.
The NFR official also said that plans have been made to run local trains from Jogbani, Radhikapur and Balurghat to facilitate connectivity along the international border and high-speed ‘Vande Bharat’ Express trains from Guwahati to Tinsukia and Agartala. He said that 100% electrification of the NFR network has already been completed.
