NFR Accelerates Railway Transformation in Assam’s BTAD Region

 

Guwahati, 23rd October: Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) is undertaking a series of transformative railway development projects to strengthen connectivity, infrastructure, and economic growth in the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) of Assam. These initiatives aim to boost regional development, create employment, and integrate the BTAD region more closely with the national rail network under the vision of Viksit Bharat.

According to an official statement given by Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer, a key project among them is the proposed Wagon Periodic Overhauling (POH) Workshop at Basbari in Kokrajhar district. Recently, Shri Chetan Kumar Shrivastava, the General Manager of NFR, inspected the proposed site along with senior officials and representatives of the Bodoland Territorial Council. The modern facility, to be developed over about 2,500 bighas at a cost of Rs. 256.35 crore (Phase I), will initially handle 75 wagons per month, ramping up to 250 wagons per month in subsequent phases. Strategically located near Basbari station and Rupsi Airport, the workshop will serve as a major logistics hub, generating large-scale employment and skill development opportunities for local youth while enhancing NFR’s wagon maintenance capacity.

In addition, NFR is spearheading the Kokrajhar–Gelephu New Railway Line Project, a 69 km Indo–Bhutan cross-border connectivity initiative, declared a Special Railway Project by the Government of India. Estimated at Rs. 4,033 crore, this line will connect Kokrajhar in Assam to Gelephu in Bhutan, unlocking new avenues for trade, tourism, and regional cooperation under the Neighbourhood First and Act East policies. The project will significantly benefit the BTAD region, transforming Kokrajhar into a key gateway for India–Bhutan rail and logistics operations.

Under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS), NFR has also launched modernization works at major BTAD stations including Kokrajhar, Gossaigaon Hat, Fakiragram, Udalguri, Tangla, and Majbat. These include redevelopment of station buildings, upgraded passenger amenities, enhanced circulation areas, and modern façade designs, aimed at providing world-class travel experiences.

BTAD stations are now witnessing unprecedented connectivity. Premier trains such as the Vande Bharat Express and Rajdhani Express regularly halt at Kokrajhar, ensuring fast, comfortable, and premium travel for passengers of the Bodoland region to major cities across India. Moreover, new stoppages of express and passenger trains have been introduced at Gossaigaon Hat, Fakiragram, Basugaon, Bijni, Tangla, Udalguri, and Majbat, vastly improving convenience and rail accessibility for local commuters. With electrification, doubling, and infrastructure modernization progressing rapidly, NFR remains committed to driving the socio-economic transformation of Assam’s BTAD region through safe, sustainable, and inclusive railway development.