PM Modi Launches ₹830 Cr Projects & Flags Off Amrit Bharat Trains in Bengal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (January 18, 2026) launched development projects worth over ₹830 crore in West Bengal and flagged off three Amrit Bharat trains connecting Kolkata with other parts of the country. At a function in Hooghly district's Singur, the prime minister also inaugurated the Jayrambati-Barogopinathpur-Maynapur rail line, and flagged off a train between Maynapur and Jayrambati. "All central projects will accelerate the development of West Bengal. The central government is working to meet the goal of a developed eastern India," Mr. Modi said while addressing the programme. The PM laid the foundation stone for the Extended Port Gate System, including an Inland Water Transport (IWT) terminal and a road over bridge, at Balagarh in Hooghly district, according to a statement issued by PMO. Spread over approximately 900 acres of land, Balagarh is being developed as a modern cargo handling terminal with an envisaged capacity of about 2.7 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). The Balagarh project aims to significantly improve cargo evacuation efficiency by diverting vessel movement away from congested urban corridors. Mr. Modi also flagged off three Amrit Bharat Express trains connecting Kolkata with New Delhi, Varanasi and Chennai. These trains will run on the Howrah-Anand Vihar Terminal, Sealdah-Banaras, and Santragachi-Tambaram routes.