Govt approves final survey for new railway line in Sikkim

New Delhi, May 11 (IANS) Aiming to use rail connectivity for promoting tourism and generating employment in north-eastern states, the Railway Ministry has approved the final location survey for a proposed line from Melli to Dentam in Sikkim, said an official on Sunday.

The proposed railway line, via Jorethang and Legship, promises to extend rail connectivity to western and southern regions of Sikkim and boost tourism and economic activities, he said.

The proposed line, with an estimated length of 75 km as per the preliminary feasibility assessment, will improve connectivity as part of a strategic continuation of the ongoing Sivok-Rangpo railway project.

The Sivok-Rangpo railway project is one of the crucial connectivity projects for the northeastern region and is expected to be completed by 2027.

According to the Northeast Frontier Railway’s website, the work for the Sivok-Rangpo project is going on in full swing to establish a railway connection between Sikkim and the rest of the country.

The total length of the Sivok-Rangpo rail line project is 44.96 Km (41.55 km in West Bengal and 3.41 km in Sikkim). Out of the total length of 44.96 km, 38.623 km (86 per cent) is in the form of tunnels, 2.24 km (5 per cent) in Bridges and 4.79 km (9 per cent) in open cutting/filling of station yards.

An official said the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) has been adopted for the construction of tunnelling works. The proposed line consists of 14 tunnels, with the longest tunnel of 5.30 km long and the shortest tunnel being 538 metres long.

There are 13 major bridges and 10 minor bridges in the project. The project includes the construction of five stations -- Sivok, Riyang, Melli, Rangpo and one underground halt station, viz. Teesta Bazar.

The estimated cost of the project is Rs 12,474 crore, according to the Northeast Frontier Railway’s website.

This is one of the prestigious ongoing National projects in India, and on completion of this project, first time, the state of Sikkim will be connected via railways. Once completed, this project will ensure an uninterrupted supply of essential commodities in Sikkim.

It will also be possible to introduce long-distance train services from Sikkim to various parts of the country. Tourism and economic activities of the state will also get a great boost.

--IANS

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