Guwahati, May 2 (IANS) Mizoram’s Aizawl will be the 4th capital city in the northeastern region to come under railway network next month as the 51.38 km new line between Bhairabi (near Assam’s Hailakandi district) and Sairang (near Aizawl) is expected to be inaugurated in June, an official said on Friday.
Assam’s main city of Guwahati (adjoining capital Dispur), Tripura’s capital Agartala, and Arunachal Pradesh’s Naharlagun (adjacent to capital city Itanagar) are already on the railway network for many years.
Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said that the NFR achieved a significant milestone on Thursday with the successful completion of the first ever trial run to Sairang near Aizawl in Mizoram.
He said that this marks a major achievement in enhancing rail connectivity to the northeastern states and makes Mizoram the fourth northeastern state with capital connectivity to the national railway network.
The historic trial run was conducted in the presence of NFR General Manager (Construction) Arun Kumar Chaudhary, along with other senior railway officials.
After the trial run to Sairang, Chaudhary provided an in-depth briefing on the scope, progress, and strategic importance of the Bhairabi-Sairang railway project to Mizoram Governor General Vijay Kumar Singh (Retd) and Chief Minister Lalduhoma. Chaudhary, also stated that the project’s construction work is progressing smoothly.
He further mentioned that the Commissioner of Railway Safety is scheduled to conduct an inspection in early June, with the formal inauguration of the Bhairabi–Sairang railway line likely to take place after June 17.
During the interaction the NFR General Manager (Construction) also elaborated on the engineering hurdles successfully overcome during the construction phase and emphasised the anticipated economic and social benefits the project is poised to bring to the region.
The 51.38 km Bhairabi-Sairang new Railway line project is an engineering marvel of the Indian Railways and it consists of 48 tunnels, 55 major bridges and 87 minor bridges.
The total length of tunnels in this project is 12,853 meters. The height of bridge number 196 is 104 meter which is 42 meter taller than the Qutb Minar. The project also includes five Road over Bridges and six Road under Bridges.
The CPRO said that this new line project is divided into four sections — Bhairabi – Hortoki, Hortoki – Kawnpui, Kawnpui – Mualkhang and Mualkhang – Sairang.
The Northeast Frontier Railway is committed to the early completion of the new rail project, which will significantly improve connectivity in Mizoram.
The project aims to boost local tourism, support small-scale industries and reduce transportation costs for passengers and goods. It will shorten travel time between Mizoram’s capital to the rest of the country, while ensuring better access to essential supplies and long-distance travel across the country, Sharma said.
–IANS
sc/pgh
