Image: AI Generated/Canva Dream Lab follow usfollow us India will add 500 kilometers (310 miles) of railway lines along its northeastern frontier to strengthen civilian and military access near the China border. The project, expected to cost 300 billion rupees ($3.4 billion), includes bridges and tunnels linking remote areas bordering China, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan, people familiar with the plan told Bloomberg. It is scheduled to be completed within four years. Though ties with Beijing have recently shown signs of warming, the investment underscores India’s long-term contingency planning given a history of cycles of rapprochement and strain. The move comes five years after a deadly border clash, even as leaders in both countries seek to rebuild relations amid shifting global trade dynamics following the tariffs imposed by United President Donald Trump. Rail and Road Connectivity India has already constructed 1,700 kilometers of rail lines in the northeast over the past decade, the report said. The new corridors will complement extensive road projects, including 9,984 kilometers of highways built at a cost of 1.07 trillion rupees and another 5,055 kilometers under construction. recommended by Herbeauty Women Love These Great Tips To Making Your Teeth Look Whiter The government says the upgrades will also improve civilian access and cut response times during natural disasters or military mobilisations. Air and Border Infrastructure Officials told Bloomberg that India has reactivated Advance Landing Grounds — dormant since 1962 — for helicopter and aircraft operations in the northeast. Discussions are also underway for additional rail lines near the disputed border with China in Ladakh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has prioritised border connectivity, including 1,450 kilometers of new roads along Pakistan and projects near Doklam, a plateau claimed by both China and Bhutan. Earlier this year, he inaugurated the world’s tallest railway bridge to connect Kashmir with the rest of the country. China’s Expansion China has also stepped up construction since a 2017 stand-off at Doklam, building dual-use airports and heliports to speed up troop and equipment movement for the People’s Liberation Army.
