PM launches Vande Bharat sleeper trains, NH projects in Bengal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched rail and road projects worth Rs 3,250 crore in West Bengal, including new Vande Bharat sleeper and Amrit Bharat Express trains, aimed at improving connectivity and boosting development in the region

Malda: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday unveiled rail and road infrastructure projects worth Rs 3,250 crore, aimed at strengthening connectivity and accelerating development in West Bengal and the North East.

At a public function in Malda in north Bengal, the Prime Minister virtually flagged off four Amrit Bharat Express trains connecting New Jalpaiguri with Nagercoil and Tiruchirappalli, and Alipurduar with SMVT Bengaluru and Mumbai (Panvel).

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Earlier, the Prime Minister flagged off the country’s most advanced and first set of Vande Bharat sleeper trains between Howrah and Guwahati (Kamakhya) from Malda Town Railway Station.

The fully air-conditioned sleeper train is expected to cut travel time on the Howrah-Guwahati route by around 2.5 hours. Currently, it takes nearly 18 hours to travel from Howrah to Guwahati by train.

Speaking at the inauguration function, Modi said the new projects, especially the new trains, will enable and empower the youth of the region.

“There was a time when we used to watch developed foreign nations and dream of such modern trains in our country. Today, that dream has come true,” the Prime Minister said.

“The new Vande Bharat sleeper train has connected the holy land of Maa Kali to that of Maa Kamakhya,” he added.

India has both modernised its transport facilities and made the country self-reliant, Modi said, adding that India is currently making more railway coaches than Europe or the US.

Speaking at the occasion, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said India would soon be exporting Vande Bharat trains.

“Keeping in mind the food tastes of the region, passengers of the Vande Bharat trains departing from Kolkata would be served Bengali cuisine, while those from Guwahati would be offered Assamese food,” he announced.

A statement issued by the PMO said the new projects 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,” it said.

At the function, Modi laid the foundation stone of four major railway projects in the state, including a 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.

The Prime Minister also flagged off two new train services equipped with LHB coaches to facilitate connectivity of the region’s youth, students and IT professionals to Bengaluru, a major IT hub of the country.

Modi 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 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, Modi is scheduled to criss-cross poll-bound Bengal and Assam, blending political messaging with a series of infrastructure launches as the countdown to the 2026 Assembly elections enters a crucial phase.

He is scheduled to return to the state on Sunday after holding a political rally in Malda on Saturday afternoon, then moving to Guwahati for an overnight stay and spearheading a host of scheduled events the following morning.

On Sunday, the Prime Minister will address a keenly watched political meeting in Singur in Hooghly district, the epicentre of the anti-land acquisition movement that propelled Mamata Banerjee to power in 2011 and reshaped the state’s political landscape.