Kolkata: With the BJP conquering West Bengal for the first time in the recent Assembly polls, a ‘double-engine sarkar’ is in place. As promised, a flurry of development projects are being announced.
On Saturday, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw unveiled an infrastructure blitz for West Bengal after a meeting with chief minister Suvendu Adhikari.
Taking the cake was a bullet train project that will connect Delhi with Siliguri, considered to the gateway to the northeast.
According to Vaishnaw, the proposed bullet train service will reduce travel time between Siliguri and Delhi from 20 hours to just 6 hours.
It will be India’s second bullet train project after the 508 km Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor, which is expected to be operational next year.
“A bullet train project will come to West Bengal. It will connect Delhi and Siliguri via Lucknow, Varanasi and Patna,” the Railway Minister said.
Vaishnaw, who took a Metro ride, praised Suvendu for the fantastic election victory – BJP won 208 of the 294 seats — and “saving Bengal” from the Trinamool Congress, accusing the Mamata Banerjee-helmed 15-year government of delaying key projects.
Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Hon’ble Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, Electronics & Information Technology, travelled by auto from Noapara Metro Station to Belghoria Expressway during his visit to Kolkata today.#EasternRailway pic.twitter.com/6hDNBR0jGU
— Eastern Railway (@EasternRailway) June 6, 2026
“Congratulations on the way you have saved Bengal. Now you can work. For so many years, development work was stopped here,” Vaishnaw told Suvendu.
Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Hon’ble Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, Electronics & Information Technology, travelled on the Kolkata Metro and interacted with passengers and staff today during his visit to Kolkata.#EasternRailway pic.twitter.com/XQ19r1Z574
— Eastern Railway (@EasternRailway) June 6, 2026
The Union minister, who also travelled in an autorickshaw, said that railway projects worth more than Rs 1 lakh crore were currently underway in the state.
VIDEO | Kolkata: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) travels by Kolkata Metro, interacts with passengers and railway staff at the metro station.
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/45ouxC1CAY
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 6, 2026
Vaishnaw assured that the Kolkata Metro will receive 60 new-generation trains over the next five years. He also said that 102 stations in Bengal were being redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat scheme.
“Railway projects worth more than Rs 1 lakh crore are currently underway in West Bengal. In fact, projects valued at around Rs 1.02 lakh crore have been pending implementation for a long time because the previous TMC government was not supportive of railway development initiatives,” the Union minister stated.
“I have requested the honourable Chief Minister to jointly review all railway projects across West Bengal. I am here today to discuss how these projects can be executed, expedited, and completed at the earliest, and how public infrastructure and passenger amenities can be enhanced for the benefit of the people,” Vaishnaw told reporters.
