Maligaon: As India advances on its path towards becoming a developed nation, Bengal’s role remains “expected and indispensable,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, underlining the state’s strategic importance in driving growth in eastern India, the North-East and cross-border connectivity. Since 2014, Indian Railways has emerged as a key enabler of this vision through large-scale infrastructure expansion, station modernisation and improved passenger services across the state, the Northeast Frontier Railway said on Tuesday.
Railway development in West Bengal has witnessed a marked shift from stagnation to execution over the past decade, backed by strong central leadership and enhanced financial commitment. The average annual railway budget allocation for the state has risen more than threefold—from Rs 4,380 crore during 2009–14 to Rs 13,955 crore after 2014. At present, railway projects worth over Rs 87,862 crore are under execution in West Bengal, it added.
Since 2014, Indian Railways has constructed 1,362 km of new railway lines in the state, exceeding the total rail network of the United Arab Emirates.
Major completed projects include the 130-km Mandar Hill–Rampurhat new line, improving connectivity in Birbhum, and the Haldibari international border new line, enhancing rail links with Bangladesh. Several doubling and additional line projects have eased congestion and improved efficiency on busy routes, benefiting suburban, regional and freight services.
Gauge conversion projects such as Barddhaman–Katwa, Ahmedpur–Katwa and New Mal Junction–Changrabandha have further integrated the rail network. Meanwhile, 101 stations in West Bengal have been selected for redevelopment under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, with an allocation of around
Rs 3,600 crore. Stations at Panagarh, Joychandi Pahar and Kalyani Ghoshpara were inaugurated in May 2025.