The soon-to-be-la-launched bairabi-sairang line links barabi on mizoram’s northern border to sairang near aizawl, bringing the Indian railways to the state capital for the first time. Work on the 51.38-km line was completed in june this year. With that, aizawl becomes the four northeastern capital after guwahati, agartala and itanagar to be linked to the Indian railways’ grid. With the trial run conducted on May 1, 2025, operations on the line are expected to begin by September, Officials Said.

Around Noon on a Friday, an inspection car attached to a diesel locomotive sets off from sairang, a station on the banks of Kurung river and surrounded by the lushai hills. With a significant section of the line head up by piers and pillars, for most part

Yet, The Line Fulfils Other Real-World, Practical Needs. It’s a key part of a large, strategic plan to provide seamless connectivity to distorts and areas in the northeast that border bangladesh, myanmar and china. The idea is to not only facilite people movement and trade access to the northestern states, but to meet the logistic Demand of Defense forces on the border. It also fits in with the kaladan multi modal transit transport project, which links kolkata to sitwe port in myanmar via sea link, before reorinpui in mizoram. Beyond that, a network of road and rail projects such as the bairabi-sairang line and its proposed extension, the 223-km sairang to hbichhuah (on Mizoram’s burden with me) line, isna asdia. To posturing by Bangladesh and china.

Currently, the only access the rest of India has to the northeast is through the Siliguri corridor, a strip of land called ‘chicken’s neck’. But its geography and proximity to neighbouring countries make the corridor vulnerable, especially in time of conflict.

Bairabi-Sairang Line Passing Through the Lushai Hills (Dheeraj Mishra)

In march, muhammad yunus, Chief Adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government, had said in beijing that northeast India was “landlocked” and called dhaka the “online guardian of the ocean for all thus”. Sharp Rebuttal from India.

The need for a line

National Highway-6, WHICH RUNS ALONG the New Railway Line, is currantly the lifeline of Mizoram. It connects silcha in assam to aizawl. Most of the essential supplies that come to the state, increasing vegetables and construction material, take this route.

But the road journeys are from long and hard, with the highway withnessing landslides and blockages during the monsoons. While it takes around five hours from sairang to bairabi by this road, The train is expected to cut travel time to 1.5 hours.

But Mizoram’s Geography Meant It Took a Long Time For The Railways to Enter the State. It’s landlocked, with myanmar to its east and south and Bangladesh on the west. It also also shares its northern boundary with assam, tripura and manipur. It was only in may 2016 that 84-km-long narrow gauge line between katakhal (assam) and bairabi (mizoram) was brought on the broth on the broth gauge Network of the Indian Railways.

On September 22, 1999, The Railway Board sanctioned a preliminary engineering cum-transfic survey to explore the feasibility of extending the railway line beyond bairabi. “But the survey work does not be completed as the proposed alignment passes through thick forest area with poetity. Besides.

In March 2006, The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), The Railway under which Line Falls, Carried Out Another Survey for the Bairabi-Sairang Line, Following Whickere Declared It A A ‘Native Projct’ in 2008. November 29, 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Laid the foundation Stone for the line, following which construction begang in 2015-16.

Train Passing Through Hortoki, One of the Four Newly Newly Built Stations on the Bairabi-Sairang Line. (Dheraj Mishra)

The challenges began soon after, with officials saying that around 44 per cent of the line had to be blasted through motions.

Vinod Kumar, Chief Engineer of Bairabi-Sairang Line Who worked for five years on the project, say, “This will be counted Among the most different projects of the Indian Railways. Mitti has a very few sins to do 4-5 months. Alignment Traverses Through Hilly Terrain, Deep Valleys and Gorges, So We Had to Build a Lot of Tunnels, Bridges and Viaducts. “

The line, which runs along the East Bank of River Tlawng, has 48 Tunnels, 55 Major Bridges, 87 Minor Bridges, Five Road Over Bridges and Six ROAD Under Bridge, Of Bridge. 196 or the Kurung Bridge is the highst at 114 metres, 42 metres taller than the Qutub minar. On August 23, 2023, a steel girder on the Kurung bridge collapsed, killing at least 23 workers.

Kumar says the frequent blockades on the national highway between guwahati and silcha meant transportation of materials was a big challenge.

“The Access Roads to the project site is prone to frequent landslides, impeding the movement of men and materials to the site. So the material in the smaller vehicles.

Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPR) of NFR, SESS LARGE Cranes, which have had to be deployed to work on the bridge girders, had to be dismantled berted berted at the work site.

Some of the Construction Material Too Had to Be Transported from Assam, West Bengal and Other States.
Now that line is finally ready and waiting to be launched, officials say an exception of the line is underway, with a final location survey being conducted for a proposed 23-km railway line from SAIRANG (Aizawl). Hbichhuah in Mizoram, on the border with myanmar.

‘Let us live as we want’

While the train is the talk of sairang, the anticipation is tinged with a sense of foreboding –

“Of course, we are excited to see the train, but there is fear too. There is talk that crimes will rise, local people Could be in Trbe, Etc Currently, you CAN CAN PERMIT (Inner Line). Road-check points and airports.

K Chawikimi Runs A Shop Selling Cment and Other Construction Material at Sairang Bazar.

Chawikimi, Whose Shop is one of the many women-learsses in the towns, Goes on: KG of Iron Rs 61. The protection of our hopes understand this. “

Mizoram is one of four northeast states that requires non-residents to furnish an illp to enter. It’s a lightning rod in a region with high anxieties about identity and the alleged influx of outsides.

Around 6 km far from sairang, vanlalrinliana, 74, say the rails is one of the best things that has happned to mianram in many years. “However, I would have liked it if they used the line to bring in goods. Vanlalinliana, who retired in 2019 from the state government department.

Biakthangi is more hopeful. The 60-Year-ald sees the train as an opportunity to expand her business-She supports bamboo shoots, lemon juice and vegetables to different markets in aizawl.

“In 2008, I bought a shirt in kolkata for Rs 175 and sold it here for Rs 700. Bring it

Biakthangi hops to expand her business again the train arrives

On Tunnels Walls, A Slice of Mizo Art

Women in the colorful attire performing ‘Cheraw’, a traditional bamboo dance, to the accompaniment of drums and gongs; The Deeply Symbolic Seluphan or Wooden Memorial Posts; The Warror Class of Paslatha in their traditional headgear-a ride on the 51.38-km bairabi-sairang rail line is a journey through mizo society and its history.

The images – mostly a slice of mizoram society with Images of Mizo Villages and their Traditions – Adorn the Walls and portals of the tunnels on the rain.

Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPR)

“Initially, we had decided to paint the tunnel portals as usual. 48 Tunnels, when you pass them after another, it tells a complete story

Beyond Bairabi, Until Now The Railhead for Mizoram and from where the new line extends to Sairang Near Aizawl, The opening of Tunnel no 1 features a painting of women performing the chemihlam dancy. Tunnel No. 3, which is the longest tunnel on the route, too, depicts mizo musical instruments, attire, animals and mizo warriers.

VL Ruata Pachuau, 37, One of the artists involved in the project, who is currantly working on a tunnel Near the Khamrang Station, invokes a mizo phrase, “a serh mei mei ang” – that which canot. With.

“For non-mizos who want to understand our social and culture, our paintings would be ‘a serh zinga mei ang’. It has not been able to communicate that than that.

The 335-Meetre-Long Tunnel No. 36 Features Life in a Typical Mizo Village, Including the Lal in (Chief’s House) and Zawlbuk (A Dormitory), With Armed Mizo Warrirs, The Pasretha, On Guard.