Guwahati, Feb 3: Indian Railways has allocated Rs 11,486 crore for Assam and other Northeast states in the 2026–27 budget, a fivefold increase compared to 2014, aimed at improving rail connectivity, safety, and infrastructure in the region.

Official figures show that railway projects worth Rs 72,468 crore are currently underway across the Northeast. These include surveys for new railway lines and a proposed 69-km rail link between Kokrajhar in Assam and Gelephu in Bhutan. Construction has resumed in several key areas, with progress reported in Sikkim and Nagaland to strengthen regional and cross-border connectivity.

In January 2026, Indian Railways marked several milestones in the region. On January 17, the country’s first Vande Bharat Sleeper train was launched on the Kamakhya–Howrah route, connecting Assam and West Bengal. On January 18, Assam’s first Amrit Bharat Express services began operating on the Guwahati (Kamakhya)–Rohtak and Dibrugarh–Lucknow (Gomti Nagar) routes.

During these events, officials also proposed a Varanasi–Siliguri bullet train corridor via Patna, with plans to extend the route to Guwahati in the future, bringing the Northeast into India’s high-speed rail network.

Since 2014, the Northeast Frontier Railway has laid about 1,900 km of new tracks. Five Northeast states have been fully electrified, while Assam has achieved 98 per cent electrification across 2,839 km of rail lines. The region has also seen the construction of 502 flyovers and underpasses. The Kavach train safety system has been approved for 1,197 km, with 235 km currently under implementation.