Good News: Sikkim to Get its First Railway Station After 49-Year Wait

Gangtok: Finally Sikkim's wait of 49 years comes to an end as the Indian state is all set to undergo connectivity resolution by getting its first railway station. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday will lay the state’s first railway station, Rangpo station. It is also India's first underground station.

Sikkim became India's part on 16 May 1975 as the country's 22nd state.

Amarjeet Agrawal, Deputy Railway Manager of Alipurduar said, "Rangpo station is the form of a touristic and defencive point of view for Sikkim and India. Basically, Sikkim did not have a railway line earlier. The government has signed this project in three phases. In the first phase, Sevoke to the Rangpo rail project; in the second phase, from Rangpo to Gangtok; and the third phase, from Gangtok to Nathula."

India's First Underground Station:

Sikkim's Rangpo station will be built as a part of the ‘Sivok-Rangpo railway project,’ which was launched back in October 2009.

The railway line is projected to be 45km in length and will be spanning from West Bengal's Sivok and Sikkim's Rangpo. As per Mohinder Singh, the project director out of the 45 km, three and a half km is part of Sikkim state and 41.5 km is part of West Bengal.

Of the total 44.96 km length, 38.65 km (86 per cent) comprises tunnels while the remaining 2.24 km (5 per cent) comprises of bridges.

This line could have five stations including one in Teesta Bazar, which could also be India's first underground halt railway station.