New Delhi, Aug 16: An outlay of Rs.500 crore has been provided for the 110-km Agartala-Sabroom (India-Bangladesh) new rail link during 2014-15, an official statement aforesaid here.

An expenditure of around Rs.596 crore had been incurred till March 2014 on the rail link.

The project that falls in Tripura has been taken up at a value of Rs.1,741 crore, Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha aforesaid during a written reply to a matter within the Lok Sabha recently.

“Earthwork, bridges and track linking works are taken up,” he said.

“A reconnaissance Engineering-cum-Traffic Survey for providing rail property between (India’s) Belonia (a station being created on Agartala-Sabroom new line project) and (Bangladesh’s) Belonia has been taken up,” Sinha aforesaid.

About the 15-km Agartala (India)-Akahaura (Bangladesh) new line, he said: “This is the solely project that agreement has been entered into between India and Bangladesh for rail property.”

The project was enclosed within the 2012-13 budget at an anticipated value of Rs.252 crore. The memoranda of Understanding between India and Bangladesh was signed in Feb, 2013.

“An expenditure of Rs.10 crore has been incurred up to March, 2014 and an outlay of Rs.100 crore has been provided throughout 2014-15 for this project. Land acquisition has been taken up,” he said.