After 78 years of India’s independence, Mizoram’s capital, Aizawl, will finally be connected to the country’s railway network. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the 51.38-kilometer-long Bairabi-Sairang rail line on September 13, a historic moment that marks a new era of connectivity for the northeastern state.
The Bairabi-Sairang project, sanctioned as a National Project, has been a monumental undertaking, navigating Mizoram’s challenging hilly and landslide-prone terrain. The line features a series of remarkable engineering feats, including 48 tunnels with a total length of over 12 kilometers and 142 bridges, including one that stands at 104 meters, taller than the Qutub Minar in Delhi.
The new line will connect the Sairang station, located just 20 kilometers from Aizawl, to the national railway grid via Assam’s Silchar. This is expected to significantly reduce travel time and transportation costs for the people of Mizoram. The journey from Guwahati to Aizawl, which previously took up to 18 hours by road, is expected to be reduced to approximately 12 hours by train.
This rail link is a crucial component of the Indian government’s “Act East Policy,” aimed at boosting trade, tourism, and economic integration in the Northeast region. It is anticipated to not only enhance passenger and freight movement but also provide a strategic advantage for national security, given Mizoram’s shared borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh.
With the successful completion of the project, which was cleared for public operations by the Commissioner of Railway Safety in June 2025, Mizoram becomes the fourth state capital in the Northeast to be connected to the national railway network, following Assam, Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh. The inauguration ceremony is set to be a momentous occasion, celebrating the culmination of years of hard work and a promise of a more connected and prosperous future for the state.
