The Ministry of Railways has approved three new railway projects and services for West Bengal, including railway line doubling works, a new Kolkata-Jaipur train service and a survey for a third railway line project.
According to the official letter sent by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, the projects were approved following discussions related to railway infrastructure development in the state.
As per the details of the official letter, the Railway has approved doubling work for the 7.15 km New Jalpaiguri-Siliguri railway line in north Bengal.
The ministry has also sanctioned the operation of the new 18061/18062 Santragachi-Khatipura Express between Kolkata’s Santragachi station and Jaipur’s Khatipura station via Kharagpur.
In another approval, the Railways has given green signal to the Final Location Survey (FLS) for preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the proposed 107-km Salboni-Adra third railway line project.
Which three railway projects have been sanctioned?
The three newly approved projects include:
1. Doubling of the new Jalpaiguri-Siliguri railway line
2. Introduction of the Santragachi-Khatipura Express service
3. Survey work for the Salboni-Adra third line project
The proposed third railway line between Salboni and Adra is expected to help in enhancing rail capacity and ease congestion on existing routes in the region.
The Ministry of Railways, Government of India (GoI), has sanctioned three new schemes/items/services for the State of West Bengal, and accordingly 3 subject letters were received from Hon’ble Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw to Hon’ble Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. pic.twitter.com/wPvJ9tpwRy
— ANI (@ANI) May 15, 2026
What is the significance of the new Kolkata-Jaipur train?
The newly approved 18061/18062 Santragachi-Khatipura Express is expected to improve long-distance connectivity between West Bengal and Rajasthan.
As per the Railway Ministry letter, the train will operate between Kolkata (Santragachi) and Jaipur (Khatipura) via Kharagpur.
The move is expected to benefit passengers travelling between eastern and northern India for business, tourism and education purposes.
Other railway development projects in WB
The Ministry of Railways allocated Rs 14,205 crore for railway infrastructure projects in West Bengal in the Union Budget 2026-27.
Eastern Railway also recently announced the introduction of a new Berhampore Court-Lalgola EMU Local service in the Sealdah Division from May 18, along with the extension of an existing local train service up to Lalgola.
Earlier this month, the Railways also approved infrastructure projects worth Rs 895.30 crore in the state.