IN A big push for deeper connectivity in the North-East, Mizoram’s capital Aizawl has now been linked to the national railway network via the Bairabi–Sairang line in the state.
Bairabi in Kolasib district, near the border with Assam, has so far been the only railhead in Mizoram. Sairang is a satellite town of Aizawl, around 20 km from the city.
A senior official of the Ministry of Railways said the formal inauguration of the Bairabi–Sairang line is likely to take place after June 17.
“The Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) will conduct the inspection of the project this week. Only after that can the inauguration happen, leading to the start of train operations. Barring a few sideworks, work on the line is almost complete,” the official said.
The inspection by the CRS, the railway safety audit body, is the final stage for the train operation.
A successful trial run to Sairang was conducted on May 1 by the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), marking a historic step.
Mizoram becomes the fourth N-E state with its capital city connected to the national railway network. The other three states are Assam, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh.
Story continues below this ad
Until now the train used to go only up to 1.5 km in Mizoram. The Bairabi–Sairang New Line is a 51.38-km railway project with a revised sanctioned cost of Rs 5,021.45 crore.
According to data available with the Ministry of Railways, the project has achieved 94.52 per cent physical progress and 97.13 per cent financial progress. The project is divided into four sections with the Bairabi–Hortoki section (16.72 km) already commissioned in July 2024.
The remaining sections — Hortoki–Kawnpui (9.71 km), Kawnpui–Mualkhang (12.11 km), and Mualkhang–Sairang (12.84 km) — are slated for operations by June.
The project was also very challenging from the engineering point given the difficult terrain of Mizoram. The line has 48 tunnels with a total length of 12,853 m, alongside 55 major bridges and 87 minor bridges. It also includes five Road Over Bridges (ROBs) and six Road Under Bridges (RUBs). One of the notable structures is Bridge No. 196, standing at a height of 104 m, which is 32 m taller than the Qutub Minar.
Story continues below this ad
The Bairabi-Sairang project is part of a broader, accelerated push by the Ministry of Railways to connect all N-E state capitals by rail and enhance infrastructure in the region. This involves numerous new line and doubling projects across Assam, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Manipur and Tripura. The railways work is yet to take off in full flow in Meghalaya because of years of opposition by local pressure groups against rail connectivity.
Other key new line projects underway include:
- Dimapur–Kohima New Line (Dhansiri–Zubza): Aimed at connecting Nagaland’s capital, Kohima, this 82.5-km line extends from Dhansiri station in Assam, not very far from Dimapur in Nagaland, to Zubza, approximately 15 km from Kohima. The project has a revised cost of Rs. 6,663.20 crore, with 65 per cent physical progress and 67.97 per cent financial progress. Its targeted date of completion (TDC) is set for December 2029. The original TDC was March 2026.
- Murkongselek–Pasighat New Line: This 26.15-km broad gauge project under NFR will enhance connectivity between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. With a cost of Rs. 414.84 crore, the project has achieved 41 per cent physical progress and 55.65 per cent financial progress. The line is scheduled to be completed by February 2026. The line extends from Murkongselek in Assam to Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh.
- Sivok–Rangpo New Line: This is an ambitious project connecting Sikkim to the national network for the first time. This 45-km line has a cost of Rs. 7,876.92 crore and 73 percent physical progress. Its TDC is December 2027. The line traverses from Sivok (West Bengal) to Rangpo (Sikkim). Currently, Sikkim has no railway connectivity. The project is part of India’s broader strategy to enhance infrastructure in border areas and foster regional economic growth. The railway line will play a crucial role in improving defence logistics by facilitating faster movement of military personnel and equipment to the Sino-Indian border in Sikkim. The proposed line consists of 14 tunnels with the longest tunnel of 5300 m and shortest tunnel is of 542 m.
- Jiribam–Imphal New Line: Spanning approximately 111 km, this project aims to integrate Manipur’s capital Imphal. With a cost of Rs. 14,322.79 crore, it has achieved 91 per cent physical progress.
In addition to new lines, railway infrastructure is being upgraded with doubling projects like the Agthori–Kamakhya line with a new rail-cum-road bridge at Saraighat. This project in Assam has a length of 7.062 km, costs Rs 1,473.77 crore, and has a TDC of December 2029.
The two other major line doubling projects in Assam are New Bongaigaon-Agthori via Rangiya (142.97 km), which was commissioned in October 2024, and New Bongaigaon-Goalpara-Kamakhya doubling project, which is likely to be commissioned in March 2027.
According to data tabled by the Ministry of Railways in Lok Sabha on March 19 this year, overall, as of April 1, 2024, there were 18 railway projects (13 new line and 5 doubling) with a total length of 1,368 km and an estimated cost of Rs 74,972 crore at various stages of planning and implementation in the N-E region including Assam. Of this, 313 km of track length has been commissioned. An expenditure of Rs 40,549 crore had been incurred up to March 2024.
Story continues below this ad
The data shows that 81 km of the 896-km new line projects and 232 km of the 472-km doubling projects have been commissioned, with expenditure of Rs 34,616 crore and Rs 5,933 crore, respectively.
According to the Ministry, as a part of railway infrastructure expansion in the North-East, in last 3 years (from 2021-22 to 2024-25), 21 surveys (17 new line and 4 doubling), of total length 2,499 km falling fully/partly in the N-E region including Assam, have been sanctioned.
The average budget allocation for infrastructure projects in the N-E region has also increased, with Rs 10,440 crore allocation for 2025-26.
Moreover, the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme includes several stations in the N-E for upgrades such as Dimapur (Nagaland), Agartala, Udaipur, Kumarghat and Dharmanagar in Tripura, Sairang (Mizoram), Imphal (Manipur), Naharlagun (Arunachal Pradesh), Mendipathar (Meghalaya), Rangpo (Sikkim), and 50 stations in Assam including major hubs like Guwahati and Kamakhya.
The region also currently has a pair of Vande Bharat trains running between Guwahati and New Jalpaiguri, with two new Amrit Bharat trains earmarked for the North-East.
