Rail transport in Bhutan
There is no railroad in the isolated Kingdom of Bhutan ; projects to connect it to the railroad network of India exist.
Railway connection with India
India's Look East policy is an attempt to cultivate extensive economic and strategic ties with the nations of Southeast Asia in order to assert its position as a regional power and to provide a strategic counterbalance to China's foreign policy . In the context of these considerations, Indian Railways examined the possibility of building rail connections through the northeast region and thus connecting the states of Nepal , Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar to the Indian rail network. Conversely, the government of Bhutan has recognized that a rail connection with India would mean a significant increase in capacity and efficiency for import and export because the transport costs would be lower. In January 2005, Bhutan and India signed a letter of intent to build a rail link.
Around May 2017, the Northeast Frontier Railway submitted feasibility studies to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on a rail link to Bhutan. The five possible rail connections include the following routes: From Kokrajhar in Assam to Gelephu in Bhutan (57 km), from Pathshala to Nganglam (51.15 km), from Rangiya to Samdrup Jongkhar (48 km), from Banarhat in West Bengal to Samtse in Bhutan (23 km) and finally from Hasimara in West Bengal to Phuentsholing in Bhutan (17.52 km). The connection to Phuentsholing, where an industrial center is located, has the greatest chance of implementation. The railway line is intended to promote the private sector. In June 2011, the Bhutanese government identified Toribari in the Phuentsholing area as a suitable location for a dry port . Together with the reopening of border crossings on rail lines from India to Bangladesh, Bhutan would gain access to the country's ports, the main ones being Mongla and Chittagong.
Today most of the traffic to Bhutan is handled by the New Jalpaiguri Railway Station near Siliguri, where travelers either transfer to shared taxis or buses. Other options for switching to road transport are Hasimara and New Alipurduar Train Stations.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Rail connectivity to Bhutan? Indian Railways submits studies for 5 links. Financial Express, May 10, 2018 .
- ↑ a b Bhutan Investment and Business Guide . Volume 1 Strategic and Practical Information. IBP, Washington DC 2015, ISBN 978-1-5145-2870-9 , pp. 48 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
- ^ Govt to restore rail links to India, Nepal, Bhutan . In: Dhaka Tribune . April 4, 2017 ( dhakatribune.com [accessed November 18, 2018] with map of the border crossings between India and Bangladesh).