Our Bureau
Aizawl
This Saturday, September 13th, marks a historic day in Mizoram as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the first railway line of Mizoram and flagged off the maiden Rajdhani Express of the state which will connect Aizawl with Delhi.
The Bairabi-Sairang railways line that was sanctioned in 2008-09 and is built on a budget of ₹8,070 crore. The construction of Bairabi-Sairang railways, considered one of the most challenging railway lines in the history of Indian Railways, began a decade ago in 2015.
The railway line includes 45 tunnels, 55 major bridges and 87 minor bridges through its course. The route also features five road overbridges and six underpasses that will cover four main stations – Hortoki, Kawnpui, Mualkhang, and Sairang – apart from Bairabi. It was also reported that Bridge No 144, near Sairang, is the tallest pier railway bridge in the nation as per an official of the Northeast Frontier Railway. Standing at 114 meters, the bridge is even taller than Qutub Minar.
Prime Minister Modi also flagged-off three new express trains today – Sairang (Aizawl)-Delhi (Anand Vihar Terminal) Rajdhani express, Sairang-Guwahati Express and Sairang-Kolkata Express. He also laid the foundation for multiple projects that will work on many different sectors including the likes of railways, roadways, energy, sports, among others.
These projects include the Chhimtuipui bridge on Lawngtlai–Siaha Road, Khelo India Multipurpose Indoor Hall for sports development and an LPG bottling plant at Mualkhang in Aizawl. Along with that he also inaugurated a residential school at Kawarthah under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) scheme and an Eklavya Model Residential School at Tlangnuam.
