3 min readMay 5, 2026 08:31 PM IST
After the unprecedented victory of the BJP in West Bengal Assembly elections, the Ministry of Railways is expected to expedite land acquisition for several key projects in the state which were stalled due to land issues, a senior official said on Tuesday.
For the approved railway projects in the state, the ministry requires a total 4,662 hectares of land, of which over 1,273 hectares (27 per cent) has so far been acquired.
Land acquisition had become a major point of contention between the rail ministry and the Mamata Banerjee-led state government, with the former accusing the state of not supporting acquisition, and the latter alleging neglect by the Centre in allocating development projects in West Bengal.
“At least 12 major projects have been delayed in the state because of land acquisition. This includes the Sivok-Rangpo new line, which is of national importance, connecting Sikkim with the rail network for the first time. Besides, four metro corridors over 52 km are under construction, of which work on 20-km-stretch is stuck due to land acquisition and utility shifting issues. The ministry will soon be writing to the new state government to expedite the process,” said the senior Railways Ministry official.
Railway projects worth Rs 98,499 crore are currently ongoing in the state, the official informed.
According to the ministry, the delayed projects include the Nabadwip Ghat–Nabadwip Dham new line, where the ministry needs 107-hectare land; 168-hectare land is needed for Kaliyaganj–Buniadpur new line; 18-hectare for Canning–Bagankhali new line; Rukni–Anara rail flyover (35 hectares); Gourinath Dham–Purulia rail flyover (34 hectares); Kalipahari–Bakhtar Nagar fifth line (14 hectares); and Naihati–Ranaghat third line (13 hectares).
Apart from these, the Railways Ministry will also expedite the surveys and detailed project reports for 17 projects which were recently resumed by the Railway Board in January. These include the 26-km-long Kanthi–Egra new line, Nandakumar–Balaipanda new line (28 km), Bowaichandi–Arambagh new line (31 km), Bankura–Hura–Purulia new line (65 km), Raiganj–Dalkhola new line (43 km), Prantik–Siuri new line (34 km), Itahar–Buniadpur new line (27 km), Gazole–Itahar new line (27 km), and Bowaichandi-Khana new line (24 km). The official said these projects were earlier frozen due to reasons such as low traffic, but have now been resumed after public demand.
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Another set of 21 major projects that pass through West Bengal is also under execution, including the 303-km Son Nagar–Andal (EDFC Double line), 177-km Bhagalpur–Dumka–Rampurhat Doubling, 153-km Narayangarh–Bhadrak third line, 132-km Kharagpur–Adityapur third line, 121-km Chandil–Damodar third line, and 111-km Santragachi–Kharagpur fourth line.
Along with this, the survey for 25 major projects, which pass through the state, is also underway. This includes the 546-km Katihar–Kumedpur–Aluabari Road; New Jalpaiguri–Kamakhya third and fourth lines; 399-km Jharsuguda–Bagdihi–Kharagpur 5th and 6th Line; 154-km Sitarampur–Jhajha fourth line; and 199-km Sitarampur–Kiul third line.
