PM Modi to Visit Bengal and Assam, Flag Off First Vande Bharat Sleeper Train

PTI, NEW DELHI, JAN 16, 2026: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit West Bengal and Assam on January 17 and 18, where he will flag off India's first Vande Bharat sleeper train between Howrah and Guwahati, lay the foundation stone and flag off various development projects in the two poll-bound states, and perform bhoomi pujan for the Kaziranga elevated corridor project.

The Prime Minister will visit Malda in West Bengal on Saturday around 12.45 pm and flag off India's first Vande Bharat sleeper train connecting Howrah with Guwahati (Kamakhya) at the Malda Town railway station, an official statement said. Around 1.45 pm, he will dedicate to the nation and lay the foundation stone of multiple rail and road infrastructure projects worth more than Rs 3,250 crore in a public function at Malda.

On January 18, around 3 pm, Modi will inaugurate, lay the foundation stone, and flag off various development projects worth around Rs 830 crore at Singur in Hooghly district. West Bengal and Assam will face assembly elections later this year.

The Prime Minister will further virtually flag off four new Amrit Bharat Express trains — New Jalpaiguri-Nagercoil Amrit Bharat Express, New Jalpaiguri-Tiruchirappalli Amrit Bharat Express, Alipurduar-SMVT Bengaluru Amrit Bharat Express, and Alipurduar-Mumbai (Panvel) Amrit Bharat Express.

Modi will also flag off two new train services equipped with LHB coaches — Radhikapur-SMVT Bengaluru Express and Balurghat-SMVT Bengaluru Express. These trains will provide the region’s youth, students, and IT professionals with direct, safe, and comfortable travel connectivity to major IT and employment hubs such as Bengaluru.

The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for the rehabilitation and four-laning of the Dhupguri-Falakata section of National Highway-31D, a key road project that will improve regional road connectivity and facilitate smoother movement of passengers and goods in North Bengal.

The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of four major railway projects in West Bengal, including the new rail line between Balurghat and Hili, next-generation freight maintenance facilities at New Jalpaiguri, upgradation of the Siliguri Loco Shed, and modernisation of Vande Bharat train maintenance facilities in Jalpaiguri district.

On January 17, around 6 pm, PM Modi will participate in the traditional Bodo cultural programme "Bagurumba Dwhou 2026" at Sarusajai Stadium in Guwahati. On this occasion, more than 10,000 artists from the Bodo community will perform the Bagurumba dance in a single, synchronised presentation. Artists from 81 legislative assembly constituencies across 23 districts of the state will take part in the event.

On January 18, around 11 am, Modi will perform bhoomi pujan for the Kaziranga elevated corridor project, worth over Rs 6,950 crore, and will flag off two new Amrit Bharat Express trains at Kaliabor in Nagaon district. The 86-km-long elevated corridor project is an environmentally conscious national highway project. It will feature 35 km of elevated wildlife corridor that will pass through the Kaziranga National Park, 21 km of bypass section, and 30 km of widening of the existing highway section of NH-715 from two to four lanes