Indian Railways Moves Towards Sikkim’s National Rail Connectivity, Gets Breakthrough In Major Project
Aiming to link Sikkim with other regions of the country, the Indian Railways is actively working on the project of Sivok-Rangpo Rail Project. The Sivok-Rangpo Rail Project's (SRRP) Tunnel number T-03's breakthrough has given the national transporter another major accomplishment. With this, the project's seven tunnels' mining has now been finished up to this point.
As per reports, on 25 August 2023, 57 per cent of the Sivok-Rangpo rail line project's physical progress was completed. There will be 14 tunnels, 17 bridges and 5 stations along the 45 kilometre railway line that will connect Sikkim and West Bengal. The North East Frontier Railway (NFR) zone has administrative supervision over the new line project.
The project's whole alignment is traversed by tunnels for about 38 kilometres, and the railway has already finished 83 percent of the tunnelling construction. It is anticipated that the tunnel mining will be finished by 31 January, 2024.
Currently, tunnel T-14's final lining has been finished by the railway. Additionally, the lining is being worked on at tunnels T-02, T-05, T-09, T-10, T-11, and T-12. It is anticipated that the 5.34 km of liner that has already been laid would be finished by September 2024.
The new rail line project between Sivok and Rangpo was outlined in the 2008–2009 budget. West Bengal receives 41.55 km of the overall length, while Sikkim receives 3.41 km. One of the most prestigious ongoing national initiatives in the nation is this one.
When this new rail line project is finished, Sikkim will have alternative connectivity. The national transporter hired an American Consultancy team to design the tunnel for this project, and the execution team consists of the best and most knowledgeable engineers and geologists from both domestic and international sources.
