Tunnels, bridges and hope: Mizoram's rail line promises relief

Mizoram residents hopeful the new rail line will bring along positive change.

Aizawl: With Mizoram finally set to join the Indian Railways network, the people of the northeastern state are hopeful that the new connectivity will usher in positive change.

The 51.38-km Sairang-Bairabi rail line, located about 20 km from Aizawl, the state capital, is expected to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi this weekend.

Until now, landlocked Mizoram, surrounded by Tripura, Manipur and Assam, and the neighbouring countries of Bangladesh and Myanmar, relied solely on road transport and Lengpui Airport, located approximately 32 km from Aizawl.

Essential supplies are usually brought into Aizawl by road, mainly from Silchar in Assam. Transportation between Aizwal and Silchar can take anywhere from 7 to 10 hours, locals told DH.

The longest tunnel in the rail line covers 1.868 km

Residents are hopeful that the new rail line will help reduce the cost of essential items and groceries, which often see price hikes due to long travel times. For example, one kg of apples costs around Rs 350 to 450 in September.

“The new rail line resolves Aizawl's isolation. We hope it will bring down the prices of essentials like vegetables and daily-use items ranging from rice and groceries to hygiene products like soap and toothpaste,” shared Robert Lalchhandama, a media professional.

"The road conditions are especially bad during the monsoons. Trucks and lorries get stuck on the Aizawl–Silchar road for weeks, causing a severe shortage of essential supplies in the state," said Dingi Vanglaini, owner of a local shopping mart, recalling how the rains wrecked the roads within the city and also the highways in July and August. “The situation was so bad that we were not able to get any supplies from mainland India for over a week,” she added.

The rail line crosses four stations in Mizoram — Hortoki, Kawnpui, Mualkhang and Sairang

She expressed hope that the new rail line would end the persistent inconvenience and significantly reduce travel costs. “When goods vehicles get stuck on the road for days, travel expenses rise with each passing day, directly affecting the prices of essential commodities. With the new rail line, we hope to avoid these problems,” she said.

The new rail link will cut travel time between Bairabi and Aizawl from the current five to six hours to 1.5 hours, and between Aizawl and Silchar from seven to 10 hours to three hours.

Parents with children studying outside the Northeast look forward to more frequent visits. “With flight prices averaging between Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000, my son, who has been studying in Chennai, has only been able to visit us once in the past two years. With railway connectivity, we’re hoping to see him more often. This should’ve reached us much earlier, but better late than never,” said Sailo, a pharmacy owner.

High airfares remain a common grievance among residents. "It is unlikely to find flights from Aizawl to anywhere in India for less than Rs 5,000,” he added.

Children roaming the streets of Aizawl shared dreams of visiting India’s metro cities once the rail line is inaugurated. “We’ve only seen places like Delhi in Bollywood films. Once the trains start running, we’ll ask our parents to take us around the country on vacation,” they said with glee.

The Sairang-Bairabi rail line

The 51.38-km rail line traverses Mizoram’s Kolasib and Aizawl districts, crossing four stations — Hortoki, Kawnpui, Mualkhang and Sairang. It includes six tall bridges, whose height ranges between 70m and 114m, and 45 tunnels passing through deep forests and steep hills. The longest tunnel in the rail line covers 1.868 km. While the sanctioned cost for the rail line was Rs 5021.45 crore, the actual cost is set to be close to Rs 8,000 crore.