Sevoke-Rongpo Rly tunnel work likely to get over by end of 2023

25 Apr 2023 CW Team

The tunnel work on the Sevoke-Rongpo Railway line is expected to be completed by the end of 2023. Following that, the railway track will be linked to connect Sikkim to the Indian Railway network.

"Sevoke to Rangpo will be our new railway connection under the Alipurduar Division," said Dilip Kumar Singh, Divisional Railway Manager of the Northeast Frontier Railway. It will cover a distance of 46 kilometres, including 39 kilometres of tunnel track. The tunnel's work is the most important. Two-thirds of the tunnel (26 km) is finished. The remaining 13 kilometres of tunnel will be finished by the end of 2023."

The construction of the Sevoke, Riang, Teesta, Melli, and Rangpo stations has begun. Rangpo will be a top-tier station. This project will include a total of 21 bridges. Six bridges have begun construction. "We hope to finish the major works, such as the tunnel and bridges, by March 2024." "After completion, the track linking will begin," added the DRM.

When Mamata Banerjee was Railway Minister in 2009, she laid the groundwork for the Sevoke-Rongpo Railway project. The work began as planned, but was repeatedly halted due to landslides. The railways intend to extend this project up to Gangtok and Nathula Pass, which is located at an elevation of 14,400 feet in Sikkim, 51 kilometres from Gangtok, the state capital. It is the border between India and China's Tibetan Autonomous Region.

In the future, a railway link connecting Nathula and the plains of Siliguri will aid in defence (quick troop movement), trade, and tourism.

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