Prime Minister to flag off newly-constructed Bairabi-Sairang railway line on September 13
From Aafaque Hussain
AIZAWL, Sep 8: Landlocked Mizoram which was fully dependent on road and limited aerial connectivity has finally embraced railways with the completion of Bairabi-Sairang railway project. With this, Aizawl becomes the fourth state capital in the Northeast after Guwahati, Agartala, and Itanagar to be connected to India’s railway grid.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will set the motion for railways in Mizoram when he will flag off the railway project on September 13.
The completion of the railway line has given an edge and opened avenues of opportunity and progress in Mizoram in terms of better connectivity even though the state is sensitive to its local issues and lays great emphasis on protecting the local identity and culture.
While Meghalaya has chosen to close all its doors to railway projects fearing it would bring large-scale influx of outsiders into the state sans ILP, Mizoram has kept it simple by decided to address all concerns about influx with strict enforcement of the ILP in all the railway stations. Joint Secretary of Information & Public Relations Department, Mizoram, Lalremruata Ralte who took a ride on the newly-constructed line with journalists, told The Shillong Times that the people of Mizoram have wholeheartedly welcomed railway since it would bring huge benefits to the people.
He said that apart from improving connectivity and easing the transportation of goods, the project would promote tourism here.
“People see pictures of Mizoram and they want to come here but faced problems due to limited connectivity. But with railways, we expect a lot of tourists to visit our state,” he said.
Asked if there is any fear about influx, he said that the government will strictly enforce ILP in all the railway stations to address all concerns.
The Bairabi-Sairang line would provide direct rail connectivity to Aizawl, thereby fully integrating the state into the national railway network. It would also enhance trade, boost tourism, improve passenger convenience and open new avenues for socio-economic development, fulfilling a long-cherished dream of the people of Mizoram to witness trains reaching the heart of their capital city.
AThe 51.38-km-long Bairabi-Sairang new line railway project is considered an engineering marvel of Indian Railways, built at an estimated cost of Rs 8,071 crore. The project consists of 48 tunnels, 55 major bridges and 87 minor bridges. The project includes tunnels with a total length of 12,853 metres, with the longest tunnel (Tunnel No. 3) spanning about two km. The height of bridge number 196 is 114 metres, which is 42 metres taller than the Qutub Minar.
The project also includes five road over bridges and six road under bridges. This new line project also includes construction of four new stations — Hortoki, Kawnpui, Mualkhang and Sairang.