NFR to build 200 new footbridges in Alipurduar Division to boost safety

Jalpaiguri: To prevent sabotage, strengthen surveillance, and improve maintenance operations, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has launched an extensive plan to construct 200 new footbridges beside Railway bridges under the Alipurduar Division over the next five years. Between 2025 and 2030, the NFR aims to build a total of 452 footbridges across its network, with 200 of them coming up in three districts of North Bengal under the Alipurduar Division.

Explaining the need for the initiative, NFR Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said: “At various times, train accidents occur near Railway bridges. Railway workers and engineers also face major difficulties in carrying out development and maintenance work on bridges due to the lack of adjacent footbridges.

After several incidents of sabotage in different parts of the country, Railway security has been tightened. In many remote areas, the absence of footbridges makes surveillance difficult for the Railway Protection Force and other Central security agencies. Even basic search operations on these bridges become challenging. To address these issues, footbridges will be constructed beside existing Railway bridges.”

Local residents say that numerous railway bridges stand over rivers between Siliguri and the Assam border in Alipurduar and Cooch Behar. Villagers often use Railway tracks to cross these bridges, leading to accidents. They believe that dedicated footbridges would greatly reduce such risks.

According to Railway Department sources, the NFR has already identified 943 Railway bridges across its jurisdiction where parallel footbridges are required. Of these, 382 footbridges have already been completed. In the 2024-25 financial year, work began on 32 footbridges, while 49 out of a targeted 109 have been taken up in the current year.

Looking ahead, the NFR plans to construct an additional 452 footbridges between 2026 and 2030, of which 200 will fall within the Alipurduar Division, marking one of the largest safety-focused infrastructure upgrades in the region.