The Centre has approved a fourth railway line through the strategically important Chicken's Neck corridor, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) general manager Chetan Kumar Shrivastava said at a press conference in Katihar. He described the Malda–New Jalpaiguri section as a crucial rail corridor that connects the northeastern states with other parts of the country and underscored its significance for security and logistics. He said completion of the projects would lead to a major transformation of the rail corridor and more organised development of the area.

Shrivastava said a third line had earlier been proposed for the section but approval has now been granted for a fourth line. He added that a nearly 29 km double-line underground project between Tinmai Ghat and Bagdogra is another important infrastructure initiative and that the railways is placing special emphasis on enhancing the corridor's capacity. The railway authority has emphasised capacity enhancement as a priority given the corridor's strategic role.

He reported that work to double the line in the Barsoi section is under way and that infrastructure expansion across the Katihar division is proceeding to cater to growing passenger and freight traffic. During the previous year NFR introduced 42 new trains on different routes and provided around 250 new stoppages to improve passenger convenience. Shrivastava said redevelopment of New Jalpaiguri station is progressing rapidly and is scheduled for completion by April 2027.

He indicated efforts to introduce new local services from Jogbani, Radhikapur and Balurghat soon and said these services are expected to improve connectivity for passengers in border and remote areas. He noted that 100 per cent electrification of the NFR network has been completed and that plans exist to extend Vande Bharat train services beyond Guwahati to Tinsukia and Agartala, which would offer faster and more comfortable travel for passengers in the region. Expansion of electric traction is intended to support higher frequency services and reduce travel times for both passengers and freight.