Guwahati, Feb 2 (PTI) Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said over Rs 11,400 crore has been allocated for the Northeastern states under his ministry in the Union Budget, a five-fold increase from the allocation about a decade ago.
He said a “new dimension” for the Northeast in the railways sector is unfolding as work on ongoing projects progressing well.
Addressing reporters via video conference, Vaishnaw said, “In Budget 2026-27, Rs 11,486 crore has been allocated for the NE states. Besides, projects worth Rs 72,468 crore are already underway in the region.” “The budgetary allocation is an increase by five times of what was given for the region in 2014,” he added.
He said the project connecting Bhutan is a major one in the Northeast, along with those enhancing intra-regional connectivity.
“Mizoram has been connected with railways network. The project in Manipur has resumed after a brief hiatus. The one to connect Kohima (Nagaland) is going on. Proposals for increased railway connectivity in Arunachal Pradesh are in an advanced stage,” Vaishnaw said.
“A new dimension for the Northeast is unfolding and the progress of the projects has been good,” he added.
The Union minister also said environmental-related aspects are being kept in mind while implementing the projects in the region.
Referring to elephants movement on railway tracks, he said intensive detection technology and AI-based thermal cameras are being deployed to ensure that the pachyderms are detected in advance.
Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) general manager Chetan Kumar Shrivastava, sharing details on impact of Budget announcements for the region, said the high-speed corridor that has been declared till Siliguri now will be extended to Guwahati in the future.
He maintained that under Act East Policy, longstanding gaps in the region are being addressed.
The GM said that 96 per cent of track electrification has been completed under NFR, with a stretch in Lumding-Badarpur section yet to be done.
“Important trains like the Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express and Vivek Express (Dibrugarh to Kanyakumari) are running on end-to-end on electric traction,” he added.
Under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, 60 stations in the region are being redeveloped, while NE has seen construction of over 360 rail flyovers and under-bridges since 2014.
Passenger amenities are being improved with special emphasis on Divyangjan-friendly facilities, and vistadome coaches are operating on select trains, enhancing tourism, Shrivastava said.
Surveys are on for several new projects, including for new bridges over the Brahmaputra river, to enhance passenger as well as freight movement across the Northeast, the GM added. PTI SSG SSG MNB
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.