Mizoram: Bairabi-Sairang railway line project nears completion

AIZAWL: The Bairabi-Sairang new railway line project connecting Mizoram to the rest of the country, is nearing completion with 93 per cent of the overall construction already finished, officials of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said on Friday.

During a review meeting on the progress of the new railway line project at Raj Bhavan on Friday, officials of the NFR led by chief engineer (construction) Vinod Kumar informed Mizoram governor Hari Babu Kambhampati that the 51.38 km long project is scheduled to be fully completed and commissioned by July next year, Raj Bhavan sources said.

The NFR officials informed the governor that 93 per cent of the physical works have been completed and Hortoki station, one of the four stations along the new railway line project, will be inaugurated simultaneously with the commissioning of rail service up to Hortoki within the next few days, the sources said.

The NFR has successfully done a trial run on the Bairabi-Hortoki sector recently.

There are four stations- Hortoki, Kawnpui, Mualkhang and Sairang on the Bairabi-Sairang railway project, which is divided into four sections- Bairabi – Hortoki, Hortoki – Kawnpui, Kawnpui – Mualkhang, and Mualkhang – Sairang.

Officials of NFR said that the railway services along the Hortoki – Kawnpui section and Kawnpui – Mualkhang section would also be commissioned within the next few months.

They said that the NFR is planning to finally inaugurate the Sairang terminal station and commission rail service to the door steps of Aizawl by the end of July next year.

The new railway line project, when completed, will link Mizoram, one of the eight northeastern states, with the rest of the country which will help the state boost its economy, tourism and development.

Kambhampati thanked the Centre and Indian Railways for constructing the project, which will facilitate low-cost transportation service and economic growth for Mizoram, the Raj Bhavan sources said.

He said that the project, when completed, will reduce the duration of travelling between Mizoram and Assam by 3 to 4 hours and will also significantly reduce the transportation cost.

The governor said that the project will bring significant development in various sectors.

Officials of NFR said that the project, sanctioned in 2008-09, costs Rs 8,213.72 crore as per revised estimate.

The project involves building 55 major and 87 minor bridges, 32 tunnels measuring about 12.65 km, 11 roads over/under bridges and four new stations, they said.

The construction of the project began in 2015.

The project faces many engineering, environmental and social challenges. It passes through dense forests, hilly terrain, seismic zones and remote areas, where land acquisition, forest clearance, soil erosion, slope stability and labour availability are major issues.