During a two-day visit to eastern India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the first Vande Bharat Sleeper Train service connecting Howrah and Guwahati (Kamakhya), flagging it off from Malda Town Railway Station and virtually flagging the return Guwahati–Howrah service. The new sleeper Vande Bharat is designed to meet modern transport demand, offering fully air-conditioned coaches and a faster journey—reducing the Howrah–Guwahati travel time by nearly 2.5 hours. The launch was framed within a broader infrastructure push in poll-bound West Bengal, with Modi set to dedicate and lay foundation stones for multiple rail and road projects totaling around Rs 3,250 crore. Ahead of the event, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inspected preparations and highlighted ongoing station redevelopment under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, including redevelopment of 101 stations in West Bengal and a larger railway development allocation cited at Rs 13,000 crore. Plans referenced include upgrades at New Jalpaiguri (NJP) station, additional stations, an IT hub, and expanded train maintenance facilities, with NJP modernization described as a world-class project costing about Rs 500 crore and targeted for completion next year.