Railway investment in Assam and the Northeast has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past decade, with annual budget allocations rising nearly fivefold and projects worth over Rs 72,468 crore currently underway across the region, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) officials said on Tuesday.
Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer of NFR, said that for decades the region's railway story was defined by limited connectivity, difficult terrain, and stalled projects. That picture, he said, has changed significantly since 2014.
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The most striking indicator of the shift is in budget allocations. Between 2009 and 2014, the average annual railway allocation for Assam and the Northeast stood at approximately Rs 2,122 crore. For 2026-27, that figure has risen to Rs 11,486 crore — a nearly fivefold increase that Sharma attributed to the Central Government's heightened focus on the region under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Since 2014, nearly 1,900 kilometres of new railway lines have been constructed across Assam and the Northeast — a total that exceeds the entire railway network of Sri Lanka, officials noted.
Railway electrification has advanced rapidly alongside new construction. Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, and Mizoram have already achieved 100 per cent electrification, with Assam close to completing the same milestone.
To improve the passenger experience, 60 stations across Assam and the Northeast are being redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, with a combined investment of Rs 2,101 crore. Redevelopment of Haibargaon station has already been completed.
On the safety front, 502 rail flyovers and underpasses have been constructed to reduce the number of unmanned level crossings. India's indigenous Kavach Automatic Train Protection System is also being rolled out in the region, with approval granted for 1,197 route kilometres and work actively underway across 235 kilometres.
Modern train services including the Vande Bharat Express, Vande Bharat Sleeper Express, and Amrit Bharat Express are now operating between the Northeast and the rest of India, providing faster and more comfortable connectivity for passengers across the region.