The Centre on Monday (September 29) announced two cross-border railway projects spanning 69 km and 20 km respectively, which will connect Bhutan with the bordering areas of Assam and West Bengal. The 69-km Kokrajhar (Assam)-Gelephu (Bhutan) and 20-km Banarhat (West Bengal)-Samtse (Bhutan) will cost Rs 3,456 crore and Rs 577 crore, respectively.The announcement was made jointly by Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. Later in the day, Railway Board Chairman Satish Kumar and Bhutan Foreign Secretary Aum Pema Choden signed a formal intergovernmental Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the establishment of the railway links.Currently, the Himalayan nation of Bhutan does not have any railway network. The Gelephu and Samtse line will be the first such project in the neighbouring country. It is the result of almost two decades of efforts made by both nations to finally make the way for these two strategic projects to take off. Given the historically peaceful relationship of India with Bhutan, the two railway projects are expected to strengthen ties and increase trade in the entire area amid the flexing by China in the region.How did it start?The genesis of these two projects lies in an important Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Bhutan and India in 2005. On January 25, 2005, Naranbhai J. Rathwa, then-Minister of State for Railways and Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk, then-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bhutan, who later became the Prime Minister, signed the MoU for establishment of a total of five links between bordering towns of India and Bhutan.These lines are namely Hasimara (West Bengal)-Phuentsholing (18 km) and bifurcation to Pasakha; Kokrajhar (Assam)-Gelephu (69 km); Pathsala (Assam)-Nanglam ( 40 km); Rangia (Assam)-Samdrupjongkhar via Darranga( 60 km) and Banarhat (West Bengal) – Samtse (20 km).India agreed to conduct the feasibility studies for the extension of the Indian Railways network to these five Bhutanese regions. RITES, a Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Railways, was tasked to complete these studies in a year. In 2008, RITES conducted initial studies and submitted its report. Later, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), one of the zones of Indian Railways, prepared a detailed project report (DPR) and submitted it to the government.“The Royal Government of Bhutan had earlier requested India to provide a clear construction timeline. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport stated that it received the DPR on May 15, made minor revisions and conveyed its concurrence before forwarding the reports to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade on June 18. The documents were submitted to the Government of India the following day,” reports Kuensel, a Bhutanese newspaper.Story continues below this adOut of the five proposed lines, these two projects finally made a headway after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bhutan in March 2024. Both sides initialled the text of the MoU on establishment of Kokrajhar-Gelephu and 20-km Banarhat-Samtse rail link and their implementation modalities.In the Samtse line, Bhutanese side is about 2.13 km and the Indian side is about 17.42 km. Whereas, in the case of the Gelephu line, Bhutanese side is 2.39 km and the Indian side is 66.66 km.What does the project entail?The Kokrajhar-Gelephu new line will directly connect Bhutan’s Sarpag district and India’s Kokrajhar and Chirang districts in Assam. It will have a total of six stations namely Balagaon, Garubhasa, Runikhata, Shantipur, Dadgiri and Gelephu.The project will have two important bridges, two viaducts, 29 major bridges, 65 minor bridges, two Goods shed, one overpass and 39 underpasses. The construction period of the project is four years.Story continues below this adSimilarly, the second project will connect Bhutan’s Samtse district with India’s Jalpaiguri district in West Bengal. It will have two stations Ambari and Samtse. Apart from this, the project will get one major bridge, 24 minor bridges, one overpass and 37 underpasses. The construction period of the Samtse line will be three years.According to the DPR, the construction will begin in the fiscal year 2025-26. However, it will largely depend on how quickly land acquisition is being done.Why Gelephu and Samtse?Gelephu and Samtse are the major export-import hubs in Bhutan and serve the 700-km long India-Bhutan border. Gelephu is being developed as “Mindfulness City” and Samtse is being developed as an industrial town by the Government of Bhutan.Located in Bhutan’s southern plains bordering Assam, Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) is one of the most ambitious projects envisioned by Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. The project was launched in December 2023 on Bhutan’s 116 National Day. It is being developed as an autonomous region in the Kingdom of Bhutan with executive and legislative powers, and an independent judiciary. The whole region is spread over 2600 square km or 5 percent of Bhutan.Story continues below this ad“His Majesty the King envisioned an oasis of mindfulness and prosperity amid global challenges and geostrategic uncertainty, with GMC offering a path that blends Bhutanese values of spirituality, harmony with nature, and community with the dynamism of technology, innovation, and global commerce,” reads GMC’s official website.Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, the Chief Public Relations Officer of NFR said that to expedite implementation, the Kokrajhar-Gelephu line has been declared a Special Railway Project, which will enable fast-tracked clearances and land acquisition.Similarly, Samtse is being developed as a major industrial town in Bhutan focused on manufacturing and export. Some of the potential exports from Bhutan to India from this area will involve dolomite, ferro-silicon, quartzite and stone chips. The train line will be for both cargo and passenger movement.India is Bhutan’s top trading partner, as the principal source of imports and the principal destination of their exports. It accounts for nearly 80 percent of Bhutan’s total trade. The 2016 bilateral agreement on trade, commerce, and transit establishes a free trade agreement between Bhutan and India, and also provides Bhutan duty-free transit for goods from and to third countries.Story continues below this adThus, these two projects, put together, are expected to increase the trade in the region, including India’s north-east, and movement of people across two countries.