The Railway Budget for 2011–12 has approved the conversion of the metre-gauge Karimganj-Mahisasan section to broad gauge.

The Trans-Asian Railway will enable containers from Singapore, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand and Korea to travel over land by train to Europe.

It connects Yunnan in China and Thailand with Europe via Turkey and passes through India.

The rail link between Jiribam and Imphal has been sanctioned by Indian Railways, but that is unlikely to be completed before 2016.

At present construction work is in progress in a 97 kilometres (60 mi) stretch between Jiribam and Tupul.