881 km rail network set to be electrified in West Bengal

Kolkata: The Union Budget tabled by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has allotted Rs 771.54 crore for electrification of 881 km of rail network in West Bengal, railway sources said here on Wednesday.

The sources said the electrification plans would cover all three railway zones — Eastern Railway, South Eastern Railway and North East Frontier Railway, which run through the state.

Under NEF Railway, the electrification project would encompass a number of railroads in the northern West Bengal districts like Jalpaiguri, Coochbehar and Alipurduar, the sources said.

The maximum work in the zone would include sections like New Jalpaiguri-New Mal Junction-Alipurduar-Samuktala and Alipurduar-New Coochbehar, New Changrabandha-New Coochbehar and New Coochbehar-Bamanhat.

The total length of NEF Railway that would be electrified is 506 km, of which 412 km is in West Bengal. The total allocation is Rs 475.31 crore.

Sources said the electrification project for the Balurghat-Eklakhi line in South Dinajpur and Malda districts in West Bengal will be taken out alongside Katihar-Tejnarayanpur and Barsoi-Radhikapur routes. "Of the total 176 km route in his part, 142 km are in Bengal. The remaining 34 km lies in Bihar." The estimated cost is Rs 124.95 crore.