Why India is fortifying Chicken’s Neck with underground rail

Over the decades, India's strategically crucial Chicken's Neck corridor has always been more of a pressure point. India's only land route to the northeast has repeatedly been used as an intimidation tactic by China, and more recently, Bangladesh. And now, India is digging in to fortify its most vulnerable stretch, literally. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said plans were underway to construct underground railway tracks through the nearly 40 km Chicken's Neck stretch, also known as the Siliguri Corridor, in West Bengal.

"There is special planning for the strategic corridor connecting the northeast with the rest of the country. It is on to lay underground railway tracks and make the existing tracks four-line," Vaishnaw told reporters on Tuesday. The underground rail lines, which will run from Tin Mile Haat to Rangapani in Bengal, will be laid at a depth of 20–24 metres.

Now, why have these two stations been chosen? It's about the geography. Tin Mile Haat is located in Rangapani block in Bengal's Darjeeling district, which is about 10 km from Siliguri. It lies close to the Bangladesh border. In fact, Bangladesh's Panchagarh district is just 68 km away.