Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled massive rail and road infrastructure projects worth over ₹3,250 crore on Saturday in Malda, which he said will improve connectivity in West Bengal and the northeast and generate employment.
At a public function in north Bengal’s Malda town, the PM virtually flagged off four Amrit Bharat Express trains connecting New Jalpaiguri with Nagercoil and Tiruchirappalli, and Alipurduar with SMVT Bengaluru and Mumbai (Panvel).
Earlier, the Prime Minister had flagged off the country’s first Vande Bharat sleeper train between Howrah and Guwahati (Kamakhya) from Malda Town station.
“This will enhance affordable and reliable long-distance rail connectivity. These services will support the mobility needs of common citizens, students, migrant workers and traders, while strengthening inter-state economic and social linkages,” a statement issued by the PMO said.
Prime Minister Modi also laid the foundation stone for four major railway projects in the state, including the new rail line between Balurghat and Hili, next-generation freight maintenance facilities at New Jalpaiguri, upgradation of the Siliguri Loco Shed, and modernisation of Vande Bharat train maintenance facilities in Jalpaiguri district.
“These projects will strengthen passenger and freight operations, improve logistics efficiency in north Bengal, and generate employment opportunities in the region,” the statement said further.
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A part of a major infrastructure boost was the flagging off of two train services equipped with LHB coaches to facilitate connectivity for the region’s youth, students, and IT professionals to Bengaluru, a major IT hub of the country.
Additionally, he also laid the foundation stone for the rehabilitation and four-laning of the Dhupguri-Falakata section of National Highway-31D, a key project to improve regional road connectivity in north Bengal.
“These projects will play a vital role in building modern infrastructure creation and improved connectivity, strengthening the Eastern and North-Eastern regions as key growth engines of the nation,” the statement said.
On a two-day visit to eastern India, the Prime Minister will visit poll-bound Bengal and Assam to meet party workers and discuss the upcoming state elections, along with inaugurating infrastructure launches in a final bid to woo voters before the countdown to the 2026 assembly elections enters its decisive phase.
PM Modi is scheduled to return to West Bengal from Assam on Sunday, after an overnight stay in Guwahati, where he will participate in an array of scheduled events on Sunday morning.
He will also address a keenly-monitored political meeting from Singur in Hooghly district, the epicentre of the anti-land acquisition movement that propelled TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee to power in 2011 and reshaped the state’s political landscape.
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