Now Reading: Fourth rail line approved through strategic ‘Chicken’s Neck’ corridor
-
01
Fourth rail line approved through strategic ‘Chicken’s Neck’ corridor
The Centre has approved a fourth railway line through the strategically vital 'Chicken's Neck' corridor in north Bengal, Northeast Frontier Railway general manager Chetan Kumar Shrivastava announced. The Malda-New Jalpaiguri section, the…
The Story in Brief
The Centre has approved a fourth railway line through the strategically vital 'Chicken's Neck' corridor in north Bengal, Northeast Frontier Railway general manager Chetan Kumar Shrivastava announced. The Malda-New Jalpaiguri section, the main rail link connecting the Northeast with the rest of India, will get the new line. A 29-km double-line underground project between Tinmai Ghat and Bagdogra is also planned.
The network has achieved 100 per cent electrification. Vande Bharat services will be extended beyond Guwahati to Tinsukia and Agartala. New local trains from Jogbani, Radhikapur and Balurghat are expected soon. The New Jalpaiguri station redevelopment is set for completion by April 2027. Over 250 new stoppages and 42 new trains were added last year.
The Indian Opinion
Headlines call this a 'game-changer', but the real test lies in execution. The Chicken's Neck is prone to landslides and bottlenecks. More lines are welcome, but without faster clearance of blocked sections and improved signalling, capacity gains may stay on paper. The government must also ensure the underground project does not face cost overruns. The question to watch: will freight trains actually run on time through this corridor two monsoons from now?
Sources (2): hindustantimes.com, rediff.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
