Snapshot
Except Sikkim, all the North Eastern states have been connected to the rail network.
Thus the 44.96-km long railway line which connects Sivok in West Bengal with Rangpo in Sikkim is important.
Its foundation was laid in 2009 with completion target of 2015.
The work on this much delayed rail connectivity project made quick progress only after Prime Minister Narendra Modi intervened in early 2021.
In a step towards providing all weather connectivity to the border state of Sikkim, 58 per cent i.e 22.23 km of 38.65 km of tunnelling was completed in the Sivok Rangpo Rail project.
Except Sikkim, all the North Eastern states have been connected to the rail network. Thus the 44.96-km long railway line which connects Sivok in West Bengal with Rangpo in Sikkim is important.
Out of its total length of 44.96 km, 38.65 km (86 per cent) is in tunnels, 2.24 km (5 per cent) in bridges and just 4.79 km (9 per cent) length in open cutting or filling of station yards.
The proposed line consists of 14 tunnels with the longest tunnel of 5.30 km and the smallest tunnel covers 538 metres.
On Thursday (20 October), a breakthrough was achieved in Tunnel number-9 (542 m long) of this project which is located in Bhalukhola near Melli on Sikkim-West Bengal border.
The project includes 14 major bridges and six minor bridges, and 42 per cent work is completed on 13 major bridges.
Five stations including Sivok and Rangpo are planned on the proposed Railway Line. While four stations are proposed to be open crossing stations at Sivok, Riyang, Melli and Rangpo and one underground halt station will be made at Teesta Bazar.
The tunnelling which is about 86 per cent of the total length is constructed by the latest technique called NATM (New Austrian Tunnelling Method).
“The work of this project is supervised by the International Consultants so that the Safety and Quality is ensured. IRCON is taking all the measures so that there is minimum disturbance to the Environment and Forest,” the Ministry of Railways said.
The 45-km-long rail line project was first included in the Union Budget of 2008.
The foundation stone for the project was laid down by the then railway minister, Mamata Banerjee, in 2009 and was supposed to be completed by 2015.
However, the project remained stalled due to delays in land acquisition and forest clearances.
The work of rail connectivity made quick progress only after Prime Minister Narendra Modi ticked off officials from the railways and the West Bengal government in early 2021.