The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has declared the Kokrajhar-Gelephu New Rail Line — Bhutan’s first-ever railway link — a Special Railway Project (SRP), enabling quicker land acquisition and faster execution. The 69-km project, which runs through Assam and extends into Bhutan, was granted SRP status under the Railways Act, 1989.

According to a Railway Ministry official, the project is strategically significant, advancing India’s Act East Policy and boosting cross-border trade and connectivity with Bhutan. The SRP classification allows land to be acquired under the streamlined provisions of the Railways Act, cutting acquisition time almost in half compared with the 2013 Land Acquisition Act.

Indian Railways has earlier noted that acquisition under the Railways Act typically takes 27 months, against 47–50 months under the 2013 Act. The Ministry has directed that time-bound railway infrastructure projects should be declared SRPs to speed up delivery.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s March 2024 visit to Bhutan, the two countries agreed to establish railway links through Kokrajhar-Gelephu and Banarhat-Samtse. The latter is a 16-km stretch connecting West Bengal and Bhutan. Together, they will provide Bhutan with its first rail connectivity.

NFR completed the final locational survey for the Kokrajhar-Gelephu line earlier this year. The project, estimated at Rs 35 billion, will involve nearly 100 bridges along the 70-km route. Six stations are planned, five in Assam — Balajan, Garubhasa, Runikhata, Shantipur and Dadgiri — and one in Bhutan, at Gelephu.

Kokrajhar is already an operational station on the New Jalpaiguri–New Bongaigaon section of the Barauni–Guwahati line. With SRP status, land acquisition will now be prioritised, paving the way for construction once final approvals and funding allocations are in place.