Is PM Modi Visiting Mizoram to Launch the New Rail Project?

Aizawl/Guwahati, Sep 8 (NationPress) Preparations are in full swing for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s potential visit to Mizoram to inaugurate the Bairabi–Sairang new railway project on September 13, officials stated on Monday.

The 51.38 km Bairabi (located near Assam's Hailakandi district) to Sairang (adjacent to Aizawl city) railway project will enable Aizawl to become the fourth capital city in the Northeast region to gain railway connectivity after Guwahati, Agartala, and Itanagar.

Officials from the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), led by General Manager (Construction) Arun Kumar Chaudhary, are diligently working to finalize the railway project and the inauguration arrangements.

“We have yet to receive final confirmation and schedule regarding the PM's visit from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). However, we are making comprehensive preparations for the PM’s visit and the inauguration of this crucial railway project,” the NFR official, who requested anonymity, informed IANS. According to the provisional schedule, the PM is expected to address a public assembly at the Assam Rifles ground and inaugurate the railway project at the newly constructed Sairang railway station.

Union Ministers and high-ranking officials from various ministries, including the Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Tribal Affairs, and Road Transport and Highways, will be present at the events.

NFR officials revealed that following the inauguration of the Bairabi-Sairang railway project, three express trains will commence operations connecting Aizawl with Guwahati, Kolkata, and Delhi.

Railway Board Chairman and CEO Satish Kumar and NFR General Manager Chetan Kumar Shrivastava, along with other senior officials, have already visited Mizoram and the railway project sites, engaging in discussions with Chief Minister Lalduhoma in Aizawl concerning the Bairabi-Sairang railway project.

NFR Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Kapinjal Kishore Sharma articulated that the Railway Board Chairman shared insights with the Mizoram Chief Minister about the railway project and other strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing railway infrastructure in the Northeastern state.

The Bairabi-Sairang New Line Railway Project carries significant importance as it represents a substantial advancement in strengthening rail connectivity in the Northeast.

CPRO Sharma emphasized that this landmark project (Bairabi-Sairang) will provide direct rail connectivity to Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram, for the first time, thus fully integrating the state into the national railway network. It will also promote trade, stimulate tourism, enhance passenger convenience, and create new opportunities for socio-economic development, fulfilling the long-standing aspiration of the people of Mizoram to see trains reaching their capital city.

The 51.38-km Bairabi-Sairang railway project is regarded as an engineering marvel of Indian Railways, developed at an estimated cost of Rs 8,071 crore. This project comprises 48 tunnels, 55 major bridges, and 87 minor bridges. It includes tunnels measuring a total length of 12,853 meters, with the longest tunnel (Tunnel No. 3) extending around two km. The height of bridge number 196 is 114 meters, surpassing the Qutub Minar by 42 meters, added the CPRO.

The project also comprises five Road Over Bridges and six Road Under Bridges. Additionally, this new line project incorporates the construction of four new stations: Hortoki, Kawnpui, Mualkhang, and Sairang.

Despite the challenging landscape, the NFR has achieved remarkable progress in extending rail connectivity to Aizawl, overcoming substantial geographical and engineering challenges to realize this long-awaited project, CPRO Sharma concluded.