Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on September 13 dedicated the much awaited Bairabi-Sairang New Railway Line connecting Mizoram with the rest of the country by rail connectivity. The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of Chhimtuipui River Bridge on the Lawngtlai–Siaha Road that will provide all-weather connectivity and reduce travel time, and 45 km Aizawl Bypass Road on the Western side, Thenzawl–Sialsuk Road, Khankawn–Rongura Road, a 30 TMTPA LPG Bottling Plant by IOCL at Mualkhang and various other development projects. The bridge will also support cross-border commerce under the Kaladan Multimodal Transit framework. He also laid the foundation stone of Khelo India Multipurpose Indoor Hall to promote sports development.
The Prime Minister has dedicated to the nation the newly constructed Bairabi–Sairang railway line to the region. The project will deliver a significant milestone toward the “Act East Policy” of the Govt of India. The event also witnessed the flagging off of three important long-distance train services. They are the Rajdhani Express between Aizawl (Sairang) and Delhi (Anand Vihar Terminal), an Express train connecting Aizawl (Sairang) with Guwahati, and another Express train linking Aizawl (Sairang) with Kolkata. He said this is not merely a railway connection but a lifeline of transformation that will revolutionise lives and livelihood. The PM further said Northeast was earlier ignored as it has only a few seats in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, but today NE is at the forefront of India’s growth and development journey.
The 51.38 km long broad-gauge Bairabi – Sairang railway line has been constructed at an estimated cost of about Rs 8,070 crore. Built in challenging terrain, the alignment includes 45 tunnels, 55 major bridges, 88 minor bridges and 10 ROB/RUBs. Almost 54 per cent of the newly constructed line traverses through tunnels and bridges only. Among these, Bridge No. 144 is a remarkable engineering feat. With a pier height of 114 metres it is taller than the Qutub Minar by 42 metres. The project has also added four new stations at Hortoki, Kawnpui, Mualkhang and Sairang, connecting communities of the Aizawl and Kolasib districts along the route.
The new line extends railway connectivity from Bairabi, located on the Assam–Mizoram border, to Sairang near Aizawl, directly linking the state capital with the national railway network for the first time. With this achievement, Aizawl becomes the fourth capital city in the North East to be connected by railways, following Guwahati, Agartala and Itanagar. The development is expected to transform travel and logistics in the region by ensuring faster, safer and more reliable movement of both passengers and goods.
The Bairabi – Sairang project represents a transformative step under the Government of India’s vision of enhanced connectivity and inclusive development for the North East. It will facilitate economic growth by reducing logistic costs, improving market access for farmers and entrepreneurs and creating new opportunities and development in medical fields, education, trade, tourism and industry etc. The inauguration of the new line and the launch of direct trains to Delhi, Guwahati and Kolkata mark a historic step towards integrating Mizoram more closely with the rest of the nation, hence advancing rapidly towards regional prosperity.
