Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off around a dozen new trains from Bengal and either lay the foundation stones of or inaugurate railway infrastructure projects during his two-day visit to the state from Saturday.
“The Prime Minister will gift around a dozen new trains to Bengal. They include the first Vande Bharat sleeper train that will connect Calcutta (Howrah) with Guwahati (Kamakhya),” Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said after arriving in Siliguri on Friday.
Sources in his ministry said that Modi would dedicate to the nation or lay the foundation stones of multiple rail and road infrastructure projects worth more than ₹3,250 crore from Malda on Saturday.
Modi will lay the foundation stones of and inaugurate different development projects worth around ₹830 crore at a programme in Singur, Hooghly district, on Sunday
Sources said the Prime Minister would on Saturday lay the foundation stones of the new rail line between Balurghat and Hili, a next-generation freight maintenance facility at New Jalpaiguri, the upgrade of the Siliguri loco shed, modernisation of Vande Bharat train maintenance facilities in Jalpaiguri district, and the four-laning of the Dhupguri–Falakata section of NH31D.
“He will inaugurate the electrification of rail lines between New Cooch Behar–Bamanhat and New Cooch Behar–Boxirhat, and will virtually flag off four Amrit Bharat Express trains and two long-distance trains with LHB coaches,” said a source.
After landing at the Bagdogra Airport on Friday afternoon, Vaishnaw reached the New Jalpaiguri (NJP) station.
“We are developing NJP into a world-class station, and the work is in an advanced stage. There will be two new platforms at the station. We also want to increase the capacity of NJP so that more trains can be introduced from here,” the minister said.
He added that 101 railway stations in Bengal were included in the Amrit Bharat scheme for infrastructure development.
The NJP station currently has seven platforms, including one for DHR toy trains.
For the development of the NJP station, the ministry is spending around ₹500 crore. Once the project is complete, the station’s current capacity of handling 60,000 passengers per day would be doubled, said a source.