The Union railway ministry has decided to construct a new underground railway line along the Siliguri corridor, a strategic area of the Indian sub-continent called the “Chicken’s Neck” for being the slimmest part of the country perched between Bangladesh and Nepal, with China and Bhutan borders nearby.

“The alignment has been planned primarily as an underground corridor to ensure secure, uninterrupted and resilient connectivity in the strategically sensitive Siliguri corridor, which connects the Indian mainland with the northeastern states through a narrow stretch of land that is approximately 22 kilometres wide,” said K.K. Sharma, the chief public relations officer (CPRO) of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR).

A day after the Union budget was tabled in the Parliament on February 1, Union railway minister Ashwin Vaishnaw referred to this new project.

NFR sources said the proposed underground railway line along the Tinmilehat-Rangapani-Bagdogra stretch will be 35.76 kilometres long.

Of that length, the Tinmilehat-Rangapani stretch will alone be 33.40 kilometres long.

“Considering the corridor’s proximity to international borders as well as its vulnerability to natural disasters, congestion and security-related disruptions, the underground railway line will be of immense importance,” said a railway official.

The underground alignment, he said, will provide a protected and non-visible alternative route, enabling uninterrupted movement of defence personnel, military equipment and emergency relief materials during exigencies.

“The project will also support air–rail logistics integration due to its proximity to Bagdogra Air Force Station and the Bengdubi army cantonment of the 33 Corps of the Indian army, which has its headquarters in Sukna (which is located around 10 kilometres from Siliguri),” said a source.

For the project, the railways will adopt modern technology and advanced engineering practices, which include a sophisticated electrification system, automatic signalling with VOIP (voiceover Internet protocol)-based communication on OFC and quad cables, bridges to bear axle load standards and twin tunnels with New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM).

In recent times, the Narendra Modi government at the Centre is focusing on railway services and infrastructural development across Bengal.

Last Sunday, the railway minister inaugurated two road over bridges, one near the Siuri railway station in Birbhum and another at Kumarpur in West Burdwan near Asansol, through virtual mode.

Vaishnaw also flagged off a MEMU service between Asansol and Bokaro, the steel city in the neighbouring state of Jharkhand.

“It is evident that the BJP wants to draw votes by using the new train services and the railway infrastructure across Bengal. Trinamool, on the other hand, is raising questions over the execution of such ambitious projects like the proposed high-speed rail corridor between Varanasi and Siliguri,” said a political observer.

Underpass plea

Harsh Vardhan Shringla, the Rajya Sabha member, has recently demanded a railway underpass in the Kharibari block under the Siliguri sub-division of Darjeeling district.

Speaking at the Upper House in Parliament on February 9, the MP said that the underpass was needed in the Binnabari panchayat area of the block under the Phansidewa Assembly constituency.

“He highlighted that 50 to 60,000 people face hardships and had to take longer routes to reach markets, schools and hospitals, which are on the other side of the railway tracks,” said a source.