India to build first cross-border railway with Bhutan | International

NEW DELHI, Sept 30, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - India and Bhutan will build the first cross-border railway lines connecting both countries, New Delhi announced Monday, with the $454-million project to be completed in four years. Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri said his country, which is Bhutan's main trading partner, "has played a vital role" in the modernisation of the Himalayan kingdom's infrastructure and economy. The rail project will be of "huge benefit to the people of Bhutan," India's Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said. "The entire area will get connected. And lots of goods movement, which takes days today, will start happening in few hours." An initial 69-kilometre (43-mile) railway, estimated to cost 34.56 billion rupees ($390 million), will connect India's...