August 29, 2025
NEW DELHI – There was a state in northeast India where train services did not operate, as it had not been possible to extend the railway lines there for a long time. However, 78 years after Independence, the capital of Mizoram, Aizawl, is on the railway map with the new railway routes in this region of the country developed by the Central government.
The Bairabi–Sairang railway line is now ready, serving as a lifeline for the local population. This will ease travel for passengers and enhance business opportunities. On September 13, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the railway line by giving the green signal to the train from Bairabi–Sairang.
Trains will operate for Kolkata, Agartala, and Delhi; multiple surveys have been conducted on this route, which were not completed previously and have undergone modifications. The survey was completed only when it became a national project. According to railway sources, trains will run through this line connecting Kolkata, Agartala, and Delhi. Consequently, this project will establish a connection between Mizoram and other states.
The states of northeast India will be directly connected to the railway network through this project with four out of the eight states in NE states — Tripura (Agartala), Assam (Dispur), Arunachal Pradesh (Itanagar), and Mizoram (Aizawl) — being linked to the railway network. This will be a game changer for socio-economic development in the Northeast.
The 51-kilometre-long railway line traverses through rugged mountain terrain. This project received national project status in 2008-09. Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation stone for this project in 2014, and after 11 years of effort, it has now been successfully completed. Four stations have already been constructed, and 48 tunnels have been laid along this line, totalling nearly 13 kilometres in length.
Additionally, 55 large bridges and 27 small bridges have been constructed. The most significant aspect of the bridge is that its height exceeds that of Delhi’s Qutub Minar. The bridge stands at 104 metres, while the Qutub Minar is only 72.5 metres tall.
The speed on the track will be 110 kilometres per hour. Once this railway line is laid, it will take only one to one and a half hours to travel from Bairabi to Aizawl. Previously, this journey took between 5 and 6 hours.