The Centre is planning to construct underground railway tracks along a strategic 40-km corridor in West Bengal to strengthen and secure connectivity between the Northeast and the rest of India, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Monday.
The proposed underground stretch will run between Tin Mile Haat and Rangapani railway stations across the narrow Siliguri corridor, popularly known as the “Chicken’s Neck”, which serves as the only land link between the eight Northeastern states and mainland India.
The Chicken’s Neck is a narrow strip of land, barely 20-22 km wide at its narrowest point, bordered by Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. Owing to its geography and strategic sensitivity, the corridor has long been viewed as a critical vulnerability for transportation, logistics and national security, particularly during natural disasters or geopolitical tensions.
Addressing reporters via video conference while outlining the Union Budget allocation for the Railways, Vaishnaw said, “There is special planning for the 40-km strategic corridor connecting the North East with the rest of the country. The planning is on to lay underground railway tracks, and also make the existing tracks four-line.”
Also read: India fortifies Chicken’s Neck with three new Army bases
The underground rail proposal forms part of Indian Railways’ long-term strategy to decongest the corridor, improve redundancy and ensure uninterrupted movement of passengers, goods and defence logistics. At present, the Siliguri corridor carries multiple railway lines, highways, oil pipelines and communication networks, making it one of the most heavily utilised and sensitive transit zones in the country.
Indian Railways has already undertaken capacity enhancement works in the region, including doubling and electrification of lines under the Northeast Frontier Railway, along with station redevelopment and signalling upgrades. The proposed four-lining of tracks, combined with underground sections, is expected to significantly boost operational resilience while minimising surface-level disruption.
Providing further details, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) General Manager Chetan Kumar Shrivastava said the underground railway lines would be developed along the Tin Mile Haat-Rangapani section in West Bengal.
“This underground stretch is important from a security point of view,” Shrivastava said, highlighting the corridor’s strategic significance and the need for infrastructure capable of withstanding both natural and man-made disruptions.
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