Sikkim is moving closer to being on the railway map and now Indian Railways is stepping up efforts to bring Sikkim’s capital Gangtok onto the railway network by prioritising a proposed 34-km rail link between Rangpo and Gangtok. The project is estimated to cost around Rs 9,000 crore.The Rangpo-Gangtok line would serve as an extension of the railway network once the ongoing Sivok-Rangpo project, connecting Sivok in Darjeeling with Rangpo in East Sikkim, is completed.The proposed connection was taken up recently by the Integrated Multimodal Network Planning Group (NPG), the multi-modal evaluation body functioning under the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan.
Importance of Sivok-Rangpo and Rangpo-Gangtok lines
The move comes as the railways works towards finishing the long-delayed Sivok-Rangpo railway project by December 2027.Also Read | Second Vande Bharat sleeper set to launch this month between Bengaluru and Mumbai; cutting travel time from 24 hours to under 16 hours, 30 year wait for faster connectivity between two cities to endThe 44.5-km Sivok-Rangpo railway line is being constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 17,124 crore and will provide Sikkim with its first direct railway connection. The project has been delayed by the difficult Himalayan terrain, which has necessitated the construction of multiple tunnels and major bridges.The railways has also been pursuing plans to connect the capitals of the north-eastern states by rail. Four state capitals in the region currently have railway connectivity.Once the Sivok-Rangpo line and the proposed Rangpo-Gangtok extension are completed, Sikkim will become the next state in the region to have rail connectivity to its capital.Officials told TOI that the Rangpo-Gangtok proposal is being assessed at this stage with the aim of ensuring that work on the next section can begin without a major gap once the Sivok-Rangpo line becomes operational.The proposed extension is expected to make access to Gangtok easier while improving connectivity for passengers, tourism and goods movement.The Sivok-Rangpo project has so far achieved around 75% physical progress and is targeted for completion by the end of 2027. The railway section involves 14 tunnels and 13 major bridges.During a review of the Sivok-Rangpo project in 2021, PM Narendra Modi had directed the ministry to hold officials accountable for the delay.The Sivok-Rangpo railway project has a total length of 44.96 km, of which 41.55 km falls in West Bengal and the remaining 3.41 km lies in Sikkim.Of the entire route, 38.623 km, or 86%, will run through tunnels. Another 2.24 km, which is around 5% of the alignment, comprises bridges, while the remaining 4.79 km, or 9%, involves open cutting and filling work for station yards.The New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) has been adopted for the tunnelling component of the project.The railway line will have 14 tunnels. The longest of these will measure 5.30 km, while the shortest will be 538 metres long. The project also includes 13 major bridges and 10 minor bridges.Five stations are planned along the route: Sivok, Riyang, Melli, Rangpo and one underground halt station at Teesta Bazar.The project is among the prestigious national projects currently under construction in India. Once completed, it will provide Sikkim with its first-ever railway connectivity.The railway link is also expected to ensure an uninterrupted supply of essential commodities to Sikkim. Its completion will make it possible to introduce long-distance train services connecting the state with different parts of the country.Tourism and economic activity in Sikkim are also expected to receive a significant boost.
