Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) General Manager (Construction) Ashish Bansal on 21 May conducted a comprehensive safety inspection and progress review of the Balurghat-Hili New Broad Gauge Line Project in West Bengal's Dakshin Dinajpur district, covering the Eklakhi-Balurghat and Balurghat-Hili sections. The ₹1,181.09 crore project, spanning 29.257 km, is targeted for completion by March 2027.

What the Inspection Covered

According to NFR Chief Public Relations Officer Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, the inspection assessed railway infrastructure, track conditions, station development works, bridges, passenger amenities, and overall construction progress. Special emphasis was placed on safety standards, quality of construction, bridge progress, utility shifting, and operational preparedness for future train services.

Trolley inspection activities were also carried out on 21 May to further monitor safety aspects and ongoing developmental works across the section. Senior officials from the NFR Headquarters and the Katihar division of Bihar accompanied the inspection.

Project Scope and Land Acquisition

The Balurghat-Hili project involves the construction of 11 major bridges, 43 minor bridges, station buildings, road over bridges (ROBs), road under bridges (RUBs), staff quarters, track formation, and associated railway infrastructure. Critically, 100 per cent of the required land — covering 156.38 hectares — has already been acquired and handed over to the Railways, removing a key bottleneck that has stalled similar projects elsewhere.

In addition, ongoing Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) works in the Balurghat-Kumedpur and Labha-Kumedpur sections were also assessed during the inspection programme.

Why This Project Matters

The new broad gauge line is designed to strengthen rail connectivity in the Dakshin Dinajpur region and accelerate socio-economic development in an area that has historically been underserved by the national rail network. NFR, headquartered at Maligaon near Guwahati, operates across the Northeastern states as well as seven districts of West Bengal and five districts of north Bihar — making this project part of a broader push to integrate the region's infrastructure.

Sharma noted that developmental activities are progressing continuously across different sections to ensure timely completion. This comes amid sustained central government focus on rail expansion in eastern and northeastern India, where connectivity gaps remain significant.

Completion Timeline and Next Steps

The project's completion deadline is set for March 2027. With full land acquisition already complete and construction advancing across multiple sections, officials say the project is on track. The inspection's findings are expected to guide course corrections, if any, to meet the deadline without compromising safety benchmarks.