SIKKIM (Metro Rail News): Indian Railways provided an update on the progress of the construction work to connect Sikkim to the Indian Railways network. Sikkim will be connected to the Indian Railways network after the Sivoke – Rangpo project is finished.
Indian Railway said that as of last month construction work about 52.13%(20.25 km of 38.71 km) of 14 tunnels which falls in this route have been completed and also 33% work completed (Foundation and substructure in progress) on the bridges which will fall in this hilly terrain. A senior Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) official has previously stated that the 52-km-long rail line connecting Sevoke in West Bengal with Rangpo in Sikkim is anticipated to be operational by December 2023.
The Sivoke – Rangpo project includes 14 tunnels, 17 bridges, and five stations, which include one at Teesta in the Kalimpong district that would be underground. At least 86% of the route will pass through 14 tunnels out of which 13 tunnels are in West Bengal.
The line is a broad gauge (5ft 6in) and proposed 65km/hr speed limit. The groundbreaking ceremony for the project – approved in 2008 – was held in February 2010, and the track was expected to be completed in 2020.
It will be the first time Sikkim has been connected to the main Indian rail network once it is operational, and it is anticipated that this will increase local tourism and the local economy.
It will thereafter be connected to Gangtok, Sikkim.
The rail link will pass through the Teesta River Valley and the slopes of the Kanchenjunga Mountain Range including difficult terrain.
