**Executive Summary**
This document presents the Ministry of Railways' response to Unstarred Question No. 2062 concerning the Krishnanagar-Karimpur-Domkal Railway Line, to be answered on February 11, 2026. The survey for the new rail line has been completed, but the project hasn't proceeded due to low traffic projections. Significant budget increases have occurred for infrastructure and safety projects in West Bengal.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Krishnanagar-Karimpur-Domkal Railway Line:**
* The survey for the 86 km new rail line project is complete.
* The project has not been taken forward due to low traffic projection.
* **Budget Allocation in West Bengal:**
* Budget allocation for infrastructure projects and safety works has increased significantly.
* Allocation was Rs. 4,380 Cr/year in 2009-14.
* Allocation is Rs. 13,955 Cr in 2025-26 (More than 3 times)
* **Completed Projects in West Bengal (as of 01.04.2025):**
* 42 projects sanctioned (12 New Lines, 4 Gauge Conversions, 26 Doubling) with a total length of 4402 Km, costing ₹67,991 crore.
* 1702 km length has been commissioned.
* Expenditure of ₹23,410 crore has been incurred up to March, 2025.
* Examples of completed projects and their costs are listed (e.g., Rampurhat-Mandarhill new line at Rs. 1,500 Cr)
* **Ongoing Projects in West Bengal:**
* A list of projects currently being undertaken is provided, including the cost of each project (e.g. Chandil-Purulia-Anara-Damodar 3rd Line at Rs. 1,932 Cr.)
* **Land Acquisition Issues:**
* Execution of infrastructure projects is hindered by delays in land acquisition.
* Total Land required: 4,662 Ha
* Land Acquired: 1,273 Ha (27%)
* Balance Land to be acquired: 3,389 Ha (73%)
* Details of major projects delayed due to land acquisition are provided, including land required, acquired, and the amount paid to the state.
* **Project Delays:**
* The Tarakeshwar-Bishnupur New Line project has been held up since 2016 due to non-cooperation by the State Government of West Bengal.
* The Honorable High Court, Kolkata, directed the State Govt of WB in March 2025 to support the project and enable commencement of work within 3 months.
* **Deshpran -Nandigram Line:**
* Restarting this project has proven difficult.
* Land acquisition from Deshpran to 5.0 Km could not be completed due to law and order issues.
* Acquisition of this land is essential.
* **Project Success Factors:**
* The success of projects depends upon the support of Government of West Bengal.
* Sanction of any railway project depends upon many parameters/factors.
* Completion of Railway project/s depends on various factors.
**Impact Analysis**
**Ministry of Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology**
* **Impact:** Responsible for the progress and implementation of railway projects in West Bengal, including the Krishnanagar-Karimpur-Domkal line.
* **Action Required:** Continue efforts to address land acquisition issues, secure necessary support from the State Government of West Bengal, and monitor traffic projections for the Krishnanagar-Karimpur-Domkal line.
**Government of West Bengal**
* **Impact:** Directly influences the progress of railway projects within the state through land acquisition and support for project implementation.
* **Action Required:** Address land acquisition delays, provide necessary support and police force to enable railway projects to commence, and cooperate with the Ministry of Railways.
**Passengers (Citizens) of Krishnanagar-Karimpur-Domkal and West Bengal**
* **Impact:** Experience potential delays in the construction of the Krishnanagar-Karimpur-Domkal Railway Line, which could affect trade, tourism, and overall connectivity.
* **Action Required:** Advocate for the resolution of land acquisition issues and project implementation, and monitor the progress of railway projects in the region.
Key Entities Referenced
Krishnanagar-Karimpur-Domkal Railway Line: A proposed railway line in West Bengal, the construction of which is under consideration.
Ministry of Railways: The central ministry responsible for railway infrastructure and development.
West Bengal: The state where railway projects are being implemented and facing land acquisition challenges.
Land Acquisition: The process of acquiring land for railway projects, which is cited as a major factor delaying project completion.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2062
TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.02.2026
KRISHNANAGAR-KARIMPUR-DOMKAL (WEST BENGAL) RAILWAY LINE
2062. MD ABU TAHER KHAN:
Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government is aware of the long pending demand of
passengers for Krishnanagar-Karimpur-Domkal Railway Line for trade,
tourism and other reasons and if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether the Government has set an outlay for the same and if so, the
details thereof;
(c) whether the Government proposes to implement the construction of the
line and if so, the details thereof; and
(d) whether the Government has studied the impact on trade due to
unavailability of the line and if so, the details thereof and if not, the
reasons therefor?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND
ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)
*****
(a) to (d) : Survey of Krishnanagar-Karimpur (86 Km) new rail line project has
been completed. However, the project could not be taken forward due to low
traffic projection.
Budget allocation in the recent years has increased significantly. Budget
allocation for infrastructure projects and safety works, falling fully/partly in
the State of West Bengal is as under:-
Period Outlay
2009-14 Rs.4,380 Cr./year
2025-26 Rs. 13,955 Cr. (More than 3 times)
§As on 01.04.2025, 42 projects (12 New Lines, 04 Gauge Conversions and 26
Doubling), of total length of 4402 Km, costing ₹67,991 crore falling
fully/partly in the State of West Bengal are sanctioned, out of which, 1702
km length has been commissioned and an expenditure of ₹23,410 crore has
been incurred upto March, 2025. The summary is as under:
Category No. of Total Length Total Exp. upto
projects Length Commissioned March, 2025
(in Km) till March, 2025 (Rs. in Cr.)
(in Km)
New Lines 12 1,032 337 11,368
Gauge
4 1,201 854 3,673
Conversion
Doubling/M
ulti- 26 2,169 511 8,370
tracking
Total 42 4,402 1,702 23,410
Details of some of the recently completed projects falling fully/partly in the
State of West Bengal are as under:
Cost
S. No. Project
(Rs. in Cr.)
1 Rampurhat-Mandarhill new line and Rampurhat- 1,500
Murarai 3rd line (159 Km)
2 Azimganj-Murshidabad new line (7 Km) 164
3 Bardhaman-Katwa Gauge Conversion (52 Km) 696
4 Ahmedpur-Katwa Gauge Conversion (52 Km) 440
5 Panskura Kharagpur Doubling (45 Km) 408
6 Lalgola – Jiaganj Doubling (23 Km) 124
7 Krishnanagar-Bethuadahari Doubling (28 Km) 152
8 Nabadwipdham-Patuli Doubling (22 Km) 170
9 Bethuadhahari-Plassey Doubling (23 km) 132Cost
S. No. Project
(Rs. in Cr.)
10 Ambikakalna-Nabadwipdham Doubling (23 km) 145
11 Nalhati-Sagardighi Doubling (26 km) 193
12 Tamluk Jn.- Basulya Sutahata Doubling (24 km) 245
13 Plassey- Jiaganj Doubling (54 km) 234
14 Azimganj-Manigram Doubling (21 km) 150
15 New Coochbehar-Gumanihat Doubling (29 km) 330
16 New Coochbehar-Samuktala Road Doubling (29 445
km)
17 Sainthia-Tarapith 3rd line (22 Km) 186
18 Ambari Falakata-New Maynaguri Doubling (37 843
km)
19 Bandel-Boinchi - 3rd line (31 km) 546
20 Boinchi-Shaktigarh 3rd line (26 km) 424
21 Bazar Sau-Azimganj Jn. Doubling (42 km) 343
22 Sagardighi- Malda Town Doubling (25 Km) 248
23 Kharagpur-Narayangarh 3rd line (24 km) 270
24 Monigram-Nimtita Doubling (24 Km) 713
25 Purulia-Kotshila Doubling (36 Km) 393
Some of the projects falling fully/partly in the State of West Bengal which
have been taken up are as under:
SN. Project Cost
(Rs. in Cr.)
1 Chandil-Purulia-Anara-Damodar 3rd Line(121 Km) 1,932
2 Tarakeshwar-Bishnupur New Line (83 Km) 1,542
3 Sivok-Rangpo New Line (44 Km) 11,973
4 Balurghat-Hilli New Line (30 Km) 1,2095 Kaliyaganj-Buniadpur New Line (33 Km) 1,147
6 Katihar-Kumedpur and Katihar-Mukuria Doubling 943
(65 Km)
7 Kharagpur-Adityapur 3rd line (132 Km) 3,250
8 Narayangarh-Bhadrak 3rd line (153 Km) 2,136
9 Kalipahari-Bakhtarnagar 5th Line (18Km)
350
10 Dankuni-Baltikuri 3rd & 4th line (18 Km) 429
11 Murarai-Barharwa 3rd Line (49 Km) 935
12 Ranaghat-Krishnanagar City 3rd Line (26 Km) 446
13 Aluabari Road-New Jalpaiguri 3rd & 4th Line (57 1,630
Km)
Execution of important infrastructure projects falling fully/partly in the State
of West Bengal are held up due to delay in land acquisition. Status of land
acquisition in West Bengal is as under:
Total Land required 4,662 Ha
Land Acquired 1,273 Ha (27%)
Balance Land to be acquired 3,389 Ha (73%)
Details of some major projects which are delayed due to land acquisition are
as under:
SN Name of the project Total Land Balance Amount
land acquired Land to Paid to
required (in Ha) be State
(in Ha) acquired (in Cr.)
(in Ha)
1. Chandil-Anara- Burnpur 8 0 8 0
- 3rd line
2. Nabadwipghat- 107 0 107 50
Nabadwipdham new
line
3. Byepass at Sainthia 22 0 22 04. Naihati – Ranaghat 3rd 13 0 13 1.3
line
5. Sivok-Rangpo new line 135 128 7 7.98
6. Kaliyaganj-Buniadpur 168 0 168 0
new line
7. Canning- Bagankhali 18 0 18 0
new line
8. Adra- Sanka- Rukni 5 0 5 0
doubling
9. Kalipahari- 15 0 15 0
Bakhtarnagar 5th line
10. Rail Flyover at Anara 35 0 35 0
from Rukni to Anara
station
11. Rail Flyover at 34 0 34 0
Gourinathdham end to
Purulia
12. Chandanpur 5 0 5 0
Shaktigarh 4th Line
Further, Tarakeshwar-Bishnupur (83 Km) New Line Project is held up since
2016 due to non-cooperation by state Govt. of West Bengal. The work was
stopped by local villagers in about 900 m length near “Bhabadighi” pond in
Hooghly district. Honourable High Court, Kolkata in March, 2025 directed
State Govt of WB to provide all necessary support and deploy adequate
police force to enable the Railways to commence the work within 3 months.
Deshpran -Nandigram (18.5 km) Line was sanctioned in 2009-10 at cost of ₹
121.44 crores. The entire Project length is located in East Midnapore
District. The project could not progress due to problems in land acquisition
and was kept in abeyance. In April 2023 it was decided to re-start the work.
However, Survey for Land Acquisition from Deshpran to 5.0 Km could not be
completed due to law and order issues. As Deshpran is the connecting
station, acquisition of this land is essential for commissioning of this
project.Several meetings have been held with officials of Government of West
Bengal for land acquisition for the above projects.
Government of India is geared up to execute projects, however success
depends upon the support of Government of West Bengal.
Sanction of any railway project depend upon many parameters/factors which
include the following:
Anticipated traffic projections and Remunerativeness of the proposed
route
First and last mile connectivity provided by the project
Connection of missing links and providing additional route
Augmentation of congested/saturated lines
Demands raised by State Governments/Central Ministries/Public
representatives,
Railway’s own operational requirements
Socio-economic considerations
Overall availability of funds
Completion of Railway project/s depends on various factors which include
the following:
Land acquisition by State Government
Forest clearance
Shifting of infringing utilities
Statutory clearances from various authorities
Geological and topographical conditions of area
Law and order situation in the area of project site
Number of working months in a year for particular project site etc.
All these factors affect the completion time and cost of the project/s.
*****