Northeast receives Rs 11,486 crore rail budget allocation in 2026-27, says NFR
Guwahati, June 17
Railway infrastructure and services in Northeast India have undergone a "complete transformation" over the last 12 years, driven by a substantial increase in budgetary allocation and the timely execution of key projects, Northeast Frontier Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said on Wednesday.
Speaking on new railway projects, Sharma highlighted the significant rise in funding for the region's railway sector.
"In the last 12 years, there has been a complete transformation of the railway infrastructure and services in Northeast India. First of all, if we see the major impact that has been created, that is because of the enhanced budget allocation that we have started receiving for the Northeast," Sharma said.
"Before 2014, if we look at 2009-2014, the average budgetary allocation for the railways in the Northeast was around Rs 2,000 crore. But in 2026-27, the budgetary allocation is Rs 11,486 crore. So you can see that there has been a fivefold growth in the budget. And that is enabling projects to be taken up and completed on time. ," he added.
Highlighting infrastructure upgrades, Sharma said gauge conversion has been one of the most significant achievements in the region.
"Some of the major changes include gauge conversion. Before 2014, many stretches in Assam and the rest of the Northeast were meter gauge. So passengers had to change trains mid-journey. Now we have a complete unigauge system in the Northeast," Sharma said.
"833 route km of meter gauge tracks have been converted into broad gauge, and the entire region is now broad gauge," he added.
Meanwhile, on June 6, the Ticket Checking Section of New Jalpaiguri (NJP) under Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) achieved a historic milestone by recording an unprecedented earning of more than Rs 2.08 crore during the month of May 2026, according to an official statement.
Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Northeast Frontier Railway, said that this marks the highest-ever monthly ticket-checking revenue achieved by any section across Northeast Frontier Railway.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Five times the budget compared to 2014 is impressive, no doubt. But the Northeast still lags behind in terms of high-speed trains and modern amenities. We need more Vande Bharat services and better last-mile connectivity. The gauge conversion is a good step, but it should have been done decades ago.
Great to see the focus on infrastructure in the Northeast! The unigauge system is a game-changer for passengers. But I hope the revenue from ticket checking (Rs 2.08 crore) is reinvested into improving safety and cleanliness on trains. Small things like better toilets and security make a big difference for women travelers.
Is the Rs 11,486 crore enough? Considering the hilly terrain and security challenges in the Northeast, the per-km cost of railway projects is way higher than in the plains. We also need more double-line tracks and electrification to reduce travel time. But yes, the progress is visible—last year I traveled from Dibrugarh to Bangalore without changing trains!
A fivefold increase is great, but let's not forget that the baseline was very low. Rs 2,000 crore for an entire region was peanuts. The real test will be whether this money translates into better on-time performance and fewer accidents. Also, the New Jalpaiguri revenue record is impressive, but it also shows how much fare evasion still exists.
As someone from Meghalaya, I still don't have a railway station in my state! The allocation is good, but the Northeast has many states still disconnected.
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