To boost infrastructure development in the Northeast, the Indian Railways has undertaken 20 major projects worth over Rs 40,000 crore in the region.

Twenty-nine new trains have also been launched to facilitate movement of the people of the region.

The railways has laid emphasis on improving its infrastructure in the Northeast, said a senior railway ministry official.

The projects involve laying of 12 new lines and doubling of four lines at an estimated cost of Rs 43,771 crore.

These projects will add 1,664km tracks in the region.

The northeastern region consists of eight states -- Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya and Sikkim.

Barring Sikkim, rail connectivity exists in all seven states. For, Sikkim, a 44-km new line between Sevoke and Rangpo has been sanctioned.

The entire metre-gauge section in the region has also been fully converted into broad-gauge line, the official said.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)