Major rail infra boost in Bengal with increased budget

Kolkata: Railway infrastructure development in West Bengal has accelerated with higher budget allocation, expansion of rail lines, station redevelopment and the introduction of new train services, according to an official statement issued by Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer of Northeast Frontier Railway.

The railway budget allocation for West Bengal for 2026–27 has been fixed at Rs 14,205 crore, more than three times the average annual allocation of about Rs 4,380 crore during 2009–14. Projects worth around Rs 93,000 crore are currently under way in the state, covering new lines, capacity expansion, safety upgrades and station redevelopment.

Under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, 101 stations in West Bengal are being redeveloped at an estimated cost of around Rs 3,600 crore. Work at nine stations has been completed, three have been inaugurated and six will be inaugurated soon.

The Belda–Dantan third line and the automatic block signalling project between Kalaikunda and Kanimahuli will also be dedicated to the nation. A new Purulia–Anand Vihar Terminal Express will be flagged off. Railway connectivity from the state has expanded with premium services. One pair of Vande Bharat Sleeper Express services now operates from West Bengal, while 18 Vande Bharat Express and 22 Amrit Bharat Express services link major cities and economic centres. Since 2014, around 1,400 km of new railway tracks have been laid and about 1,712 km of routes electrified, making West Bengal’s railway network fully electrified.

More than 500 rail flyovers and underpasses have been built to improve safety and traffic flow. The Kavach train protection system has been implemented over 105 route km, with work under way on another 1,041 route km and approval granted for deployment across 3,200 route km.

“When all these initiatives are viewed together, it becomes clear that a new chapter of railway development is being written in West Bengal.