Indian Railways is working on a full swing to connect Sikkim with other parts of the country. In this context, the national transporter has achieved another milestone with a breakthrough of Tunnel no. T-03 of the Sivok – Rangpo Rail Project (SRRP). With this, the mining in seven tunnels has been completed so far in the project.
Latest construction status on Sivok-Rangpo project:-
The Sivok-Rangpo rail line project achieved physical progress of 57 per cent on August 25, 2023. The 45 kms long railway line connecting Sikkim and West Bengal will have 14 tunnels, 17 bridges, and 5 stations. The new line project falls under the administrative control of the North East Frontier Railway (NFR) zone.
Progress work of Tunnels:-
Around 38 kms of the entire project alignment is passing through tunnels and the railway has already completed 83 percent of the tunneling work. The tunnel mining is expected to be completed by January 31, 2024.
Tunnel Lining:-
Presently, the railway has completed the final lining of tunnel T-14. The lining is also under progress at tunnels – T-02, T-05, T-09, T-10, T-11 and T-12. A total of 5.34 km lining has been completed so far and it is expected to be completed by September, 2024.
About Sivok-Rangpo rail line project:-
The Sivok-Rangpo new rail line project was included in the Budget in 2008-09. Of the total length, 41.55 km falls in West Bengal and 3.41 km in Sikkim. This is one of the prestigious ongoing national projects in the country. On its completion, this new rail line project will provide alternate connectivity to the state of Sikkim. The national transporter has engaged an American Consultancy team for the tunnel design in this project and the execution team includes top class and well experienced engineers and geologists from the country and abroad.