Guwahati: The construction of the 51.38-km-long Bairabi–Sairang railway line in Mizoram has been completed, paving the way for enhanced connectivity and economic growth in the region.
The railway line, which will link the state capital Aizawl directly to the national railway network, is set to be inaugurated soon by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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Speaking to the media, Vinod Kumar, Chief Engineer of the project, described it as one of Indian Railways’ most demanding undertakings. “Every stretch of the line presented a new challenge. The region’s intense rainfall restricts construction work to just four months a year,” he said.
Previously, rail connectivity in Mizoram extended only up to Bairabi, leaving Aizawl accessible solely by road — a route frequently hampered by landslides and inclement weather.
The completion of the Bairabi–Sairang rail link now makes direct train travel to Aizawl from cities like Silchar and Guwahati possible, significantly reducing travel time and improving logistics.
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The project includes four new railway stations within Mizoram — Hortoki, Kawnpui, Mualkhang, and Sairang. Besides easing passenger movement, the line is expected to be a catalyst for tourism and trade in the state.
Travel time between Silchar and Aizawl is set to shrink from around eight hours by road to just three hours by rail. Similarly, a journey from Guwahati that used to take between 14 to 18 hours by road will now take approximately 12 hours by train.
Prime Minister Modi had laid the foundation stone for the project on November 29, 2014. Nearly 11 years in the making, the project was built at an estimated cost of Rs 5,021.45 crore. The rail line comprises 48 tunnels stretching over 12.8 km in total, along with 142 iron bridges constructed to navigate the rugged and hilly terrain.