India is fortifying the Siliguri Corridor, popularly known as the Chicken’s Neck, with underground railway tracks to bolster the security and reliability of the vital land link to its north‑eastern states.

The plan, described by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, involves laying underground lines from Tin Mile Haat to Rangapani, at a depth of about 20–24 metres, and converting the existing route into a four‑line system. The objective is to reduce exposure to external threats and natural disruptions by moving essential rail capacity beneath the surface.

The Chicken’s Neck is around 22 kilometres wide and serves as India’s sole land corridor to the eight north‑eastern states. It hosts highways, rail links, fuel pipelines and key military supply routes. The corridor sits at a strategic crossroads bordered by Bangladesh to the south, Nepal to the west and China’s Chumbi Valley to the north. In any crisis, adversaries could exploit this chokepoint from multiple angles, potentially isolating the north‑east and weakening India’s posture along its Himalayan frontier.

Underground rail is framed as a classic Cold War‑era measure adapted for modern warfare. Proponents argue that it would shield critical transport and logistics from air strikes, artillery, and drones, ensuring uninterrupted movement of troops, fuel and civilian supplies during hostilities.

An underground corridor would be less detectable and more resilient to first‑strike scenarios, according to defence commentators, contributing to the overall hardening of India’s strategic infrastructure. This is presented as a rapid, tangible step in response to evolving geopolitical pressures around the region.

Support for the project has come from state and national leaders, who describe it as addressing a long‑standing strategic vulnerability. The plan aligns with broader concerns about China’s expanding all‑weather infrastructure near Doklam and Arunachal Pradesh, and with Bangladesh’s changing security calculus, including its proximity to the Siliguri corridor.

Observers emphasise that this underground link would help preserve connectivity between the mainland and the north‑east even under extreme conditions, thereby reducing strategic risk.

Beyond rail, India has been revisiting related defensive preparations in the region. Efforts include reviving World War II–era airstrips to strengthen regional accessibility and improving military presence with new bases and facilities in Bengal, Bihar and Assam.

The development of a rail‑based mobile launcher for missiles, demonstrated with the Agni Prime test, underscores a broader push to integrate mobility, survivability and deterrence within the country’s defence planning. The underground rail project is thus framed as a decisive enhancement to India’s strategic resilience, converting a noted vulnerability into a hardened spine for the nation’s vital north-eastern link.

Based On IT Report