The spending — set to unfold over the next 18 to 24 months — will help build new tracks, platforms and strengthen networks across Punjab, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Assam and several northeastern states, the people said,

The border-state program represents about 22% of all railway infrastructure outlay planned over the next two years, underscoring the scale of the effort, the people said.

The latest plan shows that the Narendra Modi-led administration’s vision to build border-area infrastructure goes beyond the $3.4 billion spending Bloomberg News had reported in September for constructing rail lines, including bridges and tunnels, in the northeastern parts of the country.

The investment push will help create infrastructure — civilian railways that also support logistics — while also improving connectivity in historically underdeveloped regions.

In the northeast, the administration has added about 1,700 kilometers of rail lines over the past decade, the people said.