Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday flagged off three new Amrit Bharat Express trains along with one new passenger train service in West Bengal’s Singur, aimed at improving regional connectivity and
boosting economic activity.
The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone, inaugurated, and dedicated to the nation infrastructure projects worth over Rs 830 crore across the ports, shipping, inland waterways, and railways sectors, on the second day of his visit to West Bengal.
“For a developed India, the central government has been continuously working with the goal of developing Eastern India. The programs of yesterday and today will further strengthen this resolve. During this period, I had the opportunity to lay the foundation stone and inaugurate development projects worth several crores of rupees related to Purvanchal and Bengal,” Modi said at the event in Singur.
#WATCH | Hooghly, West Bengal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi lays the foundation stone of the Extended Port Gate System at Balagarh, including an Inland Water Transport (IWT) terminal and a Road Over Bridge
(Source: DD) pic.twitter.com/hIz7NlDtYU
— ANI (@ANI) January 18, 2026
He also highlighted that India’s first Vande Bharat sleeper train was launched from Bengal on Saturday, and three Amrit Bharat trains were launched today. “One of these trains will further strengthen the connectivity between my parliamentary constituency, Kashi (Varanasi), and Bengal. Amrit Bharat Express trains have also started for Bilaspur and Tamil Nadu. This means that the past 24 hours have been unprecedented for the rail connectivity of West Bengal,” he added.
He emphasised that there are numerous opportunities for investment in Bengal, and the central government is actively working on this. He said the Centre is also providing help to build critical infrastructure for port-led development. He said the development of West Bengal is important for the development of India.
“In the last 11 years, the Central Government has made a very large investment in the capacity expansion of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Port. Under the Sagarmala scheme, roads have also been constructed to improve the connectivity of this port. In recent years, the Kolkata port has set new records in cargo handling,” he added.
He added that an extended port gate system is under construction in Balagarh, which will ease traffic and logistics congestion in Kolkata and boost cargo transportation through the waterways along the Ganga River. PM Modi ended his speech in Singur, saying he has to address another rally nearby, where he can “speak more openly”.
