The Union government on Monday announced two new railway connections between India and Bhutan.

The links will be part of the first set of rail connectivity projects between the two countries.

While the first line links Assam’s Kokrajhar to Gelephu in Bhutan, the second will connect West Bengal’s Banarhat and Samtse.

“The investment which is envisaged at this point of time is about Rs 4,033 crore, and the total length is about 90-km,” Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said at a press conference.

Bhutan is developing Gelephu as a “mindfulness city” and Samtse as an industrial city, he added.

The Kokrajhar-Gelephu rail link will be developed in four years and the Banarhat-Samtse connection in three years.

India is Bhutan’s largest trading partner, Vaishnaw said.

“Most of th

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