<p>Guwahati: Nearly four decades after hilly Mizoram became a state, its picturesque capital Aizawl is set for its first railway connectivity with the Indian Railway recently commissioning the 51.38km new line after 26-year-long work.</p><p>The new rail line connecting Bairabi in Assam and Sairang in Aizawl, the capital of one of the country's easternmost states, got safety clearance last month and is ready for inauguration. </p><p>Mizoram CM Lalduhoma recently met Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a request to formally inaugurate the historic rail line.</p><p><strong>Engineering challenge</strong></p><p>Conceptualized in 1999-2000, the work on the project began in 2008-09 but it faced numerous challenges including inclement weather, difficult terrain, lack of construction materials and workforce. </p><p>Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, the chief public relations officer of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said developing the railway was an engineering colossal. "The line includes 48 tunnels covering a length of 12.85 km and was too costly to construct as it had to push its way through solid rock and unstable hillsides." </p><p>The route has 142 bridges, pier of one such bridge (bridge No.196) is 104 meters tall and is taller than the Qutub Minar in Delhi. "Almost 44 percent of the line had to be blasted through mountains, and this was more complicated by the construction windows, which happened to be short because of the monsoon-prone weather of the region. We weren’t just laying tracks, but Mizoram’s future<em>,"</em> said a NFR statement quoting Vinod Kumar, Chief Engineer of the project. </p><p><strong>Connectivity and tourism</strong></p><p>The new rail line will cut travel time between Bairabi and Aizawl from five to six hours at present to 1.5 hours. "This reduces the costs of transport, increases trade and access to health care, education and opportunities. Students, farmers, and traders will now get an easier path to markets and institutions all over India. The project is also a strategic win to Act East Policy of India as it can be extended upto the border with Myanmar, situated about 132kms away," Sharma said. </p><p>The railway is planning to introduce vistadome coaches in the scenic route allowing visitors to get a 360 degree view of the route and visit tourist spots, the Reiek hills, Vantawng falls, Tam Dil lake and the Dampa Tiger Reserve. This is likely to be a new phase of tourism in Mizoram and make it a major place of visit in the Northeast, Sharma said.</p><p>Mizoram became a state in 1986 but Aizawl remained off the railway map. Capital towns of two other states in the Northeast, Meghalaya and Nagaland (Shillong and Kohima, respectively) are yet to have rail connectivity. Work on Dimapur-Kohima rail line is underway but a project to connect Guwahati with Shillong had to be stalled due to local protests. </p>
<p>Guwahati: Nearly four decades after hilly Mizoram became a state, its picturesque capital Aizawl is set for its first railway connectivity with the Indian Railway recently commissioning the 51.38km new line after 26-year-long work.</p><p>The new rail line connecting Bairabi in Assam and Sairang in Aizawl, the capital of one of the country's easternmost states, got safety clearance last month and is ready for inauguration. </p><p>Mizoram CM Lalduhoma recently met Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a request to formally inaugurate the historic rail line.</p><p><strong>Engineering challenge</strong></p><p>Conceptualized in 1999-2000, the work on the project began in 2008-09 but it faced numerous challenges including inclement weather, difficult terrain, lack of construction materials and workforce. </p><p>Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, the chief public relations officer of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said developing the railway was an engineering colossal. "The line includes 48 tunnels covering a length of 12.85 km and was too costly to construct as it had to push its way through solid rock and unstable hillsides." </p><p>The route has 142 bridges, pier of one such bridge (bridge No.196) is 104 meters tall and is taller than the Qutub Minar in Delhi. "Almost 44 percent of the line had to be blasted through mountains, and this was more complicated by the construction windows, which happened to be short because of the monsoon-prone weather of the region. We weren’t just laying tracks, but Mizoram’s future<em>,"</em> said a NFR statement quoting Vinod Kumar, Chief Engineer of the project. </p><p><strong>Connectivity and tourism</strong></p><p>The new rail line will cut travel time between Bairabi and Aizawl from five to six hours at present to 1.5 hours. "This reduces the costs of transport, increases trade and access to health care, education and opportunities. Students, farmers, and traders will now get an easier path to markets and institutions all over India. The project is also a strategic win to Act East Policy of India as it can be extended upto the border with Myanmar, situated about 132kms away," Sharma said. </p><p>The railway is planning to introduce vistadome coaches in the scenic route allowing visitors to get a 360 degree view of the route and visit tourist spots, the Reiek hills, Vantawng falls, Tam Dil lake and the Dampa Tiger Reserve. This is likely to be a new phase of tourism in Mizoram and make it a major place of visit in the Northeast, Sharma said.</p><p>Mizoram became a state in 1986 but Aizawl remained off the railway map. Capital towns of two other states in the Northeast, Meghalaya and Nagaland (Shillong and Kohima, respectively) are yet to have rail connectivity. Work on Dimapur-Kohima rail line is underway but a project to connect Guwahati with Shillong had to be stalled due to local protests. </p>