Kolkata, Jan 31 (UNI) In the last budget ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman placed a strong emphasis on transport connectivity and logistics, unveiling a series of large-scale rail, freight, and inland waterways projects aimed at strengthening the state’s links with key economic centres across India.
Presenting the union Budget in Parliament, Sitharaman highlighted the government’s broader push to improve infrastructure, attract investment, and accelerate regional development, with particular attention on eastern India.
One of the key announcements was a dedicated freight corridor connecting West Bengal and Gujarat, with a new logistics route planned from Dankuni in Hooghly district to Surat. The corridor is expected to streamline the movement of goods between eastern and western India, reduce transit times, and lower logistics costs. Industries dependent on bulk freight, including manufacturing, steel, cement, and agro-based sectors, are likely to benefit. Officials noted that faster cargo turnaround would enhance eastern India’s competitiveness as an industrial and trading hub.
The finance minister also unveiled the Varanasi–Siliguri high-speed rail corridor, one of seven high-speed rail projects across the country aimed at improving inter-city connectivity and reducing travel time. Other planned corridors include Mumbai–Pune, Pune–Hyderabad, Hyderabad–Bengaluru, Hyderabad–Chennai, Chennai–Bengaluru, and Delhi–Varanasi. According to Sitharaman, these corridors will link major economic hubs, IT centres, infrastructure clusters, and rapidly growing cities.
Alongside rail-based projects, the budget proposes the development of 20 new national waterways over the next five years. Integrated with road networks, these waterways are expected to create a seamless, multimodal logistics framework that reduces costs and enhances efficiency across the country.
The budget announcements build on recent initiatives in West Bengal led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a major move to modernise long-distance rail travel, Modi inaugurated India’s first Vande Bharat Sleeper train from Malda Town, connecting Howrah to Guwahati (Kamakhya) and improving overnight connectivity between eastern and northeastern India.
During the same programme, Modi also flagged off several new trains, including multiple Amrit Bharat Express services to strengthen rail links between North Bengal and southern and western cities. Key new routes include the long-distance New Jalpaiguri–Nagercoil service, along with connections from New Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar to Tiruchirappalli, Bengaluru, and Mumbai. Additionally, three Amrit Bharat Express trains were inaugurated virtually, linking Santragachhi with Tambaram, Howrah with Anand Vihar, and Sealdah with Banaras.
Sitharaman further announced the development of cargo transport infrastructure in smaller cities and allocated Rs 20,000 crore for five industrial townships, underscoring the Centre’s focus on decentralised industrial growth and logistics-led development. UNI SAG AAB
