The Bairabi-Sairang railway line, set to put Mizoram on the country's railway map, is likely to be commissioned by July next year, officials announced. Approximately 93 percent of the work on the 51.38-km line has already been completed, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) officers informed Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati during a project review meeting.
The railway line will feature four stations: Hortoki, Kawnpui, Mualkhang, and Sairang. Officials from Raj Bhavan reported that the section up to Hortoki is expected to be commissioned in the next few days, following a successful trial run on the Bairabi-Hortoki section. Services to Mualkhang station are anticipated to begin in the coming months, with the full line to Sairang near Aizawl being operational by July next year.
The completion of this railway project, which was sanctioned in 2008-09 and costs Rs 82.14 billion as per revised estimates, will significantly boost Mizoram's economy and tourism industry. Governor Kambhampati highlighted that the project would reduce travel time from Assam to Mizoram and lower transportation costs. The railway line, starting at Bairabi on the Assam-Mizoram border, includes 55 major bridges, 87 minor bridges, and 32 tunnels, with construction work commencing in 2015.