India Plans ₹30,000-Cr Rail Infra in Northeast Along China Border

Shifting Dynamics

- MIHIR MISHRA

INDIA IS SET to reinforce its northeastern frontier by adding railway infrastructure to deepen access, accelerate logistics and ensure military readiness in case warming ties with neighboring China falter again.

The approved plan involves laying 500 kilometers of rail lines, including bridges and tunnels, to connect remote regions bordering China, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan, according to people familiar with the matter.

The project, which will likely cost the government ₹30,000 crore ($3.4 billion), is expected to be completed within four years, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the information is not public.

Though ties with China have recently shown signs of warming, India's infrastructure strategy reflects long-term contingency planning that's mindful of a decades-old relationship marked by cycles of rapprochement and strain.