The Railway Ministry may shortly approve a project that will lead to the construction of a 240 KM broad gauge line between Port Blair and Diglipur ( which is barely 300 KM from the southern tip of Myanmar) on the Andaman islands. The two scenic tourist spots are currently connected by a 350-km bus service that takes over 14 hours and a ship that takes around 24 hours. There is no air connectivity. The construction of railway will bring down the travel time to three hours. The ministry's Planning and Finance directorates are said to have cleared the project last week saying it is desirable because "it is unique, away from the mainland, and has tourism potential." The Railways' Planning wing has suggested that the project may be taken up as part of the strategic lines it builds for Defence ministry, such as those in the border regions of the Northeast. The Finance arm has said that it may be taken up as a national project, like the Kashmir link, in which the general exchequer is billed. The Railway Board will take a final view on this issue soon.