Preparations are underway in Mizoram for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s possible visit on September 13 to inaugurate the Bairabi–Sairang new railway project, officials of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said on Monday.
The 51.38-km line will link Bairabi, near Assam’s Hailakandi district, with Sairang, close to the Mizoram capital Aizawl. With its completion, Aizawl will become the fourth capital city in the Northeast to be connected by rail after Guwahati, Agartala, and Itanagar.
Senior NFR officials, led by General Manager (Construction) Arun Kumar Chaudhary, are overseeing final touches to the project and logistical arrangements for the inauguration. “The Prime Minister’s final confirmation is awaited from the PMO, but preparations are in full swing,” an NFR official said.
According to tentative plans, Modi will address a public gathering at the Assam Rifles ground in Aizawl before inaugurating the project at the newly built Sairang railway station. Union Ministers and senior officials from ministries including Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Tribal Affairs, and Road Transport are expected to attend.
Once operational, three express trains are scheduled to run from Aizawl, connecting Mizoram’s capital with Guwahati, Kolkata, and Delhi. Railway Board Chairman and CEO Satish Kumar and NFR General Manager Chetan Kumar Shrivastava have already reviewed the project with Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma.
Built at a cost of Rs 8,071 crore, the project is being hailed as an engineering achievement. It features 48 tunnels spanning nearly 12.9 km, 55 major bridges, and 87 minor bridges. Bridge No. 196, standing 114 metres high, surpasses the height of Delhi’s Qutub Minar by 42 metres. The line also includes five Road Over Bridges, six Road Under Bridges, and four new stations at Hortoki, Kawnpui, Mualkhang, and Sairang.
“The project will provide direct rail connectivity to Aizawl for the first time, fulfilling a long-cherished dream of the people of Mizoram,” said NFR Chief Public Relations Officer Kapinjal Kishore Sharma. He added that the new line is expected to boost trade, tourism, and socio-economic development in the state.
Despite difficult terrain and complex engineering challenges, NFR officials said the project’s completion marks a significant step in integrating Mizoram into India’s national railway network.
