India, Bhutan Approve Cross-Border Rail Links

India and Bhutan unveiled the first-ever cross-border railway links on Sept. 29, 2025, approving two lines connecting Kokrajhar (Assam) to Gelephu and Banarhat (West Bengal) to Samtse. The projects together cover about 89 km and are estimated to cost Rs 4,033 crore (roughly $454 million). Construction timelines are projected at about four years for the Kokrajhar–Gelephu line and about three years for the Banarhat–Samtse line. Officials say the links will give Bhutan seamless access to India’s 150,000-km rail network and are expected to speed goods movement, boost trade, tourism and people-to-people ties, and support Bhutan’s economic growth. The initiative stems from a memorandum of understanding signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2024 visit to Bhutan, with a formal agreement to be signed during the Bhutanese foreign secretary’s visit to New Delhi. Significant infrastructure — stations, viaducts, bridges, flyovers and underpasses — will be built, with Gelephu envisioned as a “mindfulness city” and Samtse as an industrial hub.