Guwahati, Oct 23 : The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) is undertaking a series of transformative railway development projects to strengthen connectivity, infrastructure and economic growth in Assam's Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD), officials said on Thursday.

NFR's Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said that this series of initiatives aims to boost regional development, create employment and integrate the BTAD region more closely with the national rail network under the vision of Viksit Bharat.

He said that a key project among them is the proposed Wagon Periodic Overhauling (POH) Workshop at Basbari in Kokrajhar district. Recently, NFR General Manager Chetan Kumar Shrivastava inspected the proposed site along with senior officials and representatives of the Bodoland Territorial Council.

The modern facility, to be developed over about 2,500 bighas for Rs 256.35 crore (Phase I), will initially handle 75 wagons per month, ramping up to 250 wagons per month in subsequent phases. Strategically located near Basbari station and Rupsi Airport, the workshop will serve as a major logistics hub, generating large-scale employment and skill development opportunities for local youth while enhancing NFR's wagon maintenance capacity.

The CPRO said that in addition, NFR is spearheading the Kokrajhar'Gelephu New Railway Line Project, a 69 km Indo-Bhutan cross-border connectivity initiative, declared a Special Railway Project by the government of India.

Estimated at Rs 4,033 crore, this line will connect Kokrajhar in Assam to Gelephu in Bhutan, opening new avenues for trade, tourism and regional cooperation under the Neighbourhood First and Act East policies, he said.

The project will significantly benefit the BTAD region, making Kokrajhar a key gateway for India'Bhutan rail and logistics operations.

Sharma said that under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS), NFR has also initiated modernisation works at important BTAD stations, including Kokrajhar, Gossaigaon Hat, Fakiragram, Udalguri, Tanglaand Majbat.

These works include the redevelopment of station buildings, improved passenger amenities, better circulation areas and modern façade designs to provide world-class facilities to passengers.

BTAD stations are now better connected than ever before. Important trains such as the Vande Bharat Express and Rajdhani Express regularly halt at Kokrajhar station, ensuring fast, comfortable and premium connectivity for passengers of the Bodoland region to major cities across the country.

In addition, several new stoppages of express and passenger trains have been introduced at key BTAD stations, including Gossaigaon Hat, Fakiragram, Basugaon, Bijni, Tangla, Udalguri and Majbat, significantly improving travel convenience for local commuters and enhancing rail accessibility.

With electrification, doubling and infrastructure modernisation progressing rapidly, NFR reaffirms its commitment towards driving the socio-economic transformation of Assam's BTAD region through safe, sustainable and inclusive railway development, the NFR official stated.

/IANS