NEW DELHI: India and Bhutan will build their first cross-border railway lines in a US$454 million project set to be completed within four years, New Delhi announced on Monday (Sep 29).
The initial 69km railway will link India’s northeastern city of Kokrajhar with Gelephu, a Bhutanese border town of around 10,000 people. A second 20km line will connect Bhutan’s northwestern industrial hub of Samtse with Banarhat in eastern India.
Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri said his country, Bhutan’s main trading partner — “has played a vital role” in modernising the Himalayan kingdom’s economy and infrastructure.
“The entire area will get connected. And lots of goods movement, which takes days today, will start happening in a few hours,” Indian Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters.
