Aizawl (Mizoram)

Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Friday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the state's first railway station at Sairang on September 13.

The Chief Minister announced while addressing the 15th Conference of the Mizoram Police Service Association (MPSA) at GS Arya Mess, PHQ, Aizawl. Sairang Railway Station will be the terminus of the 51.38 km Bairabi-Sairang broad-gauge line, a project that began in 2008-09. The line is considered a major engineering achievement with 48 tunnels, 55 major bridges and the country's tallest railway pier at 104 metres.

The project is nearing completion and has already cleared trial runs conducted by the Commissioner of Railway Safety. Passenger services are expected to begin from September.

According to officials, the new connectivity will help reduce transport costs, ease passenger travel and boost Mizoram's economy, agriculture and tourism. The state government also plans to develop Sairang as a world-class station with modern facilities and extend long-distance services, including Rajdhani Express routes.

The Bairabi-Sairang railway line in Mizoram is fully completed. Connecting Aizawl to India's rail network via Silchar, the project includes 48 tunnels & multiple bridges, marking a major boost to North East connectivity and development.

Chief Engineer, Bairabi-Sairang Project, Vinod Kumar, pointed out that the project was sanctioned in 2008-09, and later it was declared a National project.

He said the biggest challenge has been the season, as the region has a prolonged monsoon season and also has landslide issues.

"...This project was sanctioned in 2008-09, and later it was declared a National project. Land acquisition was completed till 2014, and then PM Modi laid the foundation stone, and now it has been completed," Kumar said.

"The biggest challenge has been the season, as this region has a prolonged monsoon season and also has landslide issues. Additionally, there are issues related to the labour force, as most of them come from other states... We have also designed the project in a way that it remains unaffected even during the monsoon. This is the second-highest bridge in Northeast India, and the life of the project is expected to be above 100 years... PM Modi laid the foundation stone in 2014, and we are happy that it is being completed in his tenure only. It is one of the government's achievements in 11 years," the Chief Engineer added.

Despite facing challenging geographical conditions, the rail line has successfully connected Aizawl to the broader railway network. This project is a testament to the government's commitment to improving infrastructure in the northeastern states.

ALSO READ: Dr. Khadeeja Mumtas quit career to crusade for Muslim women's rights within Islam

The rail project between Bairabi and Sairang was first initiated on 29 November 2014, after PM Modi remotely unveiled the project.