Delineating regional differentiation on the development of the railway infrastructure in northeast India through an efficient synthetic indicator

The north-eastern region of India presents intra-regional disparity, which is reflected in every aspect of development. The transport sector, especially railway transportation, is one of the important aspects, and the development of railway infrastructure seems to be very different in every region. The research question addressed in this study was “Which factors, geo-physical or socio-economic, influenced the variation in the level of railway development in Northeast India?” The aim of the study was to delineate regional differentiation on railway development in Northeast India and to analyse the reasons for different development patterns of railway lines among the north-eastern states. The research was based on secondary data collected from multiple sources, and the existing synthetic indicator was applied for the classification of eight states based on their railway infrastructural status. An alternative approach called the alternative synthetic indicator has been proposed and found to be more efficient than the existing synthetic indicator. The degree of inequality among the northeastern states by considering railway infrastructural variables was measured by plotting a Lorenz curve; the corresponding Gini coefficient specifies the unequal distribution of railway infrastructure among all the northeastern states. The causality of such unequal development has been analysed through a correlation test by defining the composite dimension index. The analysis revealed that all the externalities of regional inequality significantly influence the development of railway lines in northeastern states. Environmental determinism plays a crucial role in railway development in Northeast India, but political willingness is also crucial for creating an actual state of differentiation and will play a special role in the future.