Aizawl

The central government has sanctioned Rs 97 crore for the comprehensive upgrade of Sairang railway station, located 21 km from here, into a world-class facility, Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma said in the assembly on Monday.

Sairang, which serves the state capital, is a terminal station on the Bhairabi-Sairang railway line, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September last year.

Lalduhoma informed the House that the Ministry of Railways has formally approved the state's request for the "World Class" designation for the station.

This funding follows the recent integration of Mizoram's capital into the national railway grid and aims to modernise the station to meet international standards.

The chief minister said that the upgrade will involve significant structural changes, including both vertical and horizontal extensions of the existing station building, and development of new terminal buildings to accommodate increasing passenger traffic.

Besides, extensive beautification of the station premises and surrounding areas will be required, he said.

According to the chief minister, a tender for the project has already been issued and opened, signalling an immediate start to the development phase.

Beyond passenger amenities, the state government is pushing for Sairang to serve as a critical logistics hub.

Lalduhoma said that discussions are ongoing with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw regarding the establishment of a large-scale warehouse in the station area.

"While land availability was initially cited as a challenge, a joint inspection is now scheduled following our repeated appeals. If the land is successfully secured, we intend to construct a major warehouse facility to support regional trade and local entrepreneurs," he said.

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The development came close on the heels of the inauguration of the Sairang-Silchar rail service earlier this month.

The inauguration of the 51.38 km stretch of the Bairabi-Sairang railway line brought the northeastern state within the country's railway map.