Centre Plans Underground Rail Tracks Along ‘Chicken’s Neck’ to Secure NE Connectivity

Guwahati: Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, on Monday, said that the Northeast Frontier Railway is developing a crucial, strategic rail alignment in the Chicken's Neck--Siliguri Corridor---connecting Teen Mile to Rangapani, which includes a proposed 22-km underground tunnel to secure connectivity to the Northeast with rest of the country.

While outlining the Union Budget allocations for the NF Railways, Mr Vaishnaw told reporters that special planning is underway for the corridor, which runs through the narrow Siliguri region, often referred to as India’s “Chicken’s Neck”.

“There is special planning for the 40-km strategic corridor connecting the Northeast with the rest of the country. The planning is on to lay underground railway tracks and also to convert the existing lines into four-line tracks,” the minister said.

Providing operational details, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) General Manager Chetan Kumar Shrivastava said that the proposed underground railway stretch would run between Teen Mile Haat and Rangapani railway stations in West Bengal.

“This underground section is important from a security point of view,” said Mr Shrivastava.

The Siliguri Corridor, a narrow land strip linking the Northeast to mainland India, has long been viewed as a strategic vulnerability.

It is significant that in recent years, the region has drawn renewed attention due to evolving geopolitical and security developments in the neighbourhood.

Recently former Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Rana Pratap Kalita (retd) had also flagged growing security concerns around the corridor.

He had pointed to increasing Chinese activity near the region and political changes in Bangladesh as key factors warranting heightened vigilance.

Mr Kalita in a seminar had stated, “The Chicken’s Neck has always been a security concern. Growing Chinese footprints near the region and changes in the government in Bangladesh are major concerns. Strengthening connectivity and creating redundancies are essential, and demographic changes in the area also need close attention.”

Security concerns intensified last year following reports that Bangladesh was building an airbase at Lalmonirhat in Rangpur division, located about 20 km from India’s Siliguri Corridor.

Defence analysts have frequently been warning that such a facility could potentially enable rapid deployment of fighter jets, surveillance aircraft and drones, and facilitate monitoring of Indian military movements across the Northeast, Sikkim and West Bengal.

In view of the growing security concerns, the Railway Ministry’s plan along the Siliguri Corridor has been seen as a strategic infrastructure move, aimed at strengthening connectivity while addressing long-standing national security concerns.