KOLKATA: One of the major gains for Bengal in the Railway Budget of 2021-22 has been the clearance for the development of a coaching terminal at Dankuni. A coaching terminal handles passenger trains. In the days to come, Dankuni will also be a hub for freight trains as the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) is being extended till there from Sonnagar on a Public Private Partnership basis.
“A Preliminary Engineering cum Traffic (PET) survey has also been cleared in this budget between Mujnai in north Bengal to Nyoenpaling in Bhutan. This is a 20-km stretch between the two countries. The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has no railway network till now. However, it has been holding talks with India for several years for a railway connectivity with India that will not only aid in tourism and easier transit for people, who travel on business, but also freight for the landlocked country. Much of Bhutan’s imports arrive through the Kolkata port and moves by road. Mujnai in Chapaguri, is already connected by rail,” said a senior railway official.
The ministry of railways claimed to have allocated Rs 6,636 crore for projects fully or partly in Bengal. This includes funds for new lines as well as augmentation of existing facilities. Electrification of stretches and doubling or even tripling of lines will be undertaken, another official said.