Senior officials of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) elaborated on rail projects and plans for north Bengal in the wake of the Union budget tabled by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman earlier this week.

According to NFR officials, around Rs 1,100 crore has been allotted for the Sevoke-Rangpo rail project taken up in 2009 to include the Himalayan state of Sikkim on the railway map of India. The project is likely to end next year.

“Along with the Northeast, funds have been allocated to develop railway infrastructure in north Bengal. It includes Rs 110 crore for doubling the tracks between New Maynaguri and Gumanihat,” said a railway official.

The NFR, sources said, has also decided to renovate a goods shed in Raninagar-Jalpaiguri and built a new goods shed at Mohitanagar. Both these stations are on the outskirts of Jalpaiguri town.

“A sum of Rs 26.44 crore would be spent for these projects to be taken up on PPP mode and we have floated the tenders. Once goods sheds become operational, there will be job opportunities for hundreds,” said S. Chanda, the NFR chief public relations officer.

He said that at goods sheds, new facilities like improved signalling system, drinking water and sewerage facilities, restrooms for workers and toilets would be built. “Also, rail tracks would be laid and approach roads built in some stretches to connect the sheds,” Chanda added.

K.S. Jain, the divisional railway manager of Alipurduar division of NFR, said they were coming up with a new attraction — two vista-dome coaches — for tourists to the Dooars. “These are air-conditioned chair car coaches with large windows and glass roofs. They will be tagged with local trains plying between Siliguri and Alipurduar to help tourists enjoy a great view along the Dooars route,” said Jain.

From March, electric-driven locos will chug trains between New Cooch Behar and New Jalpaiguri, he added.

“Initially, we will start running goods grains with electric locos and then passenger trains will also start plying,” he added.