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New Delhi/Guwahati, Oct 30 (IANS) Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav on Thursday honored the teams of engineers and officers who successfully completed two major new rail line projects – Bairabi-Sairang in Mizoram and Araria-Galgaliya in Bihar – at an event held in the national capital on Thursday.
The awards recognized the extraordinary dedication, innovation and teamwork of railway officials and engineers who played a vital role in completing these ambitious projects that strengthen connectivity, promote regional integration and promote inclusive growth.
According to Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), both the Bairabi-Sairang and Araria-Galgaliya projects are shining examples of Indian Railways’ commitment to expand the national rail network and connect remote areas with modern infrastructure.
He said the Bairabi-Sairang new rail line project is a historic milestone for the Northeast, providing rail connectivity to Mizoram’s capital Aizawl for the first time – effectively integrating the state into India’s railway grid.
The 51.38 km long Bairabi-Sairang section was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Aizawl on September 13. The project showcases extraordinary engineering, including 45 tunnels, 143 bridges (including a bridge taller than Delhi’s Qutub Minar) and four new stations at Hortoki, Kawanpui, Mualkhang and Sairang.
“Despite extremely challenging terrain and adverse weather conditions, the Northeast Frontier Railway (Construction) team successfully executed this complex project, which will boost trade, tourism and socio-economic development across Mizoram and the wider North-East,” Sharma said.
Similarly, the Araria-Galgaliya broad gauge railway line spanning 110.75 km has achieved full completion after statutory inspection by Commissioner Railway Safety Sumit Singhal between July 9 and 11. The new section was inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi on September 15, when he flagged off the first passenger train service on the route.
Built under the Northeast Frontier Railway zone, the line comprises 64 major bridges, 264 minor bridges and 15 stations, with authorization to operate trains at speeds up to 100 kmph. Sharma said the project is expected to strengthen regional connectivity and boost development in Bihar and surrounding areas.
Senior railway officials including Railway Board Chairman and CEO Satish Kumar; Arun Kumar Chaudhary, General Manager (NFR Construction); Anjani Kumar and Hitendra Goyal, Chief Administrative Officer (NFR Construction); And many engineers and project members attended the felicitation ceremony.
Northeast Frontier Railway, headquartered at Maligaon, Guwahati, manages over 7,362 track kilometers of railway lines in the northeastern states, seven districts of West Bengal and five districts of North Bihar.
Currently, the capitals of four northeastern states – Dispur (Guwahati) in Assam, Agartala in Tripura, Naharlagun near Arunachal Pradesh’s capital Itanagar, and Sairang near Mizoram’s capital Aizawl – are connected by rail. Work is underway to connect Manipur’s capital Imphal with the national rail network.
The two newly completed projects are part of Indian Railways’ larger mission to bring the entire Northeast under the national railway map, enabling economic growth, better accessibility and greater national integration.
–IANS
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