AIZAWL, Oct 21: Aizawl is set to become the fourth capital city in the Northeast to be connected by a railway line within the next nine months. The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) is currently working on a 51.38 km Broad Gauge track from Bairabi to Sairang, which is expected to be completed by July next year.
The Bairabi-Sairang railway project, costing Rs 8,213.72 crore, is in its advanced stages. Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma confirmed that the new line connecting Bhairabi, near Assam’s Hailakandi District, to Sairang, located near Aizawl, is progressing well.
Aizawl will join Guwahati (Dispur), Agartala, and Naharlagun (near Itanagar) as Northeast capitals already connected to the railway network. The project is divided into four sections: Bairabi-Hortoki, Hortoki-Kawnpui, Kawnpui-Mualkhang, and Mualkhang-Sairang.
NFR Chief Public Relations Officer Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said the project will be a “game-changer” for Mizoram in terms of communication and commerce, improving connectivity and boosting economic activity in the region.
The project was first approved by the Union government in 2008-2009 as a national project, with an initial cost of Rs 2,384.34 crore, and is now nearing completion.