Sikkim's First Railway Station: PM Modi Lays Foundation Stone, Here Are Project Details

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently laid the foundation stone for the first railway station in Sikkim at Rangpo, also India's first underground station.

It was among the over 2,000 rail infrastructure projects worth about ₹ 41,000 crore unveiled by the prime minister.

Sikkim waited for 49 years to get its first railway station.  The design of the Rangpo railway station mirrors the opulent heritage, culture and architecture, said the Prime Minister during his VC address. 

The Prime Minister added that the railway will be a boon during the monsoon season when NH 10 faces disruptions. 
 

Details of Railway Line 
 

According to the Amarjeet Agrawal, the DRM, the government has signed this project in three phases. In the first phase, Sivok to the Rangpo rail project; in the other phase, from Rangpo to Gangtok; and the third phase, from Gangtok to Nathula"

The station will be a part of the 45-kilometer train line that is now being built between Rangpo, Sikkim, and Sevoke, near Siliguri, West Bengal. There will be 22 bridges and 14 tunnels along the line. Out of forty-five km, three and a half km is part of Sikkim state and forty-one and a half km is part of West Bengal

Trains can travel at a top speed of 110 kmph on the Northeast Frontier Railway's Sevoke-Rangpo segment, with a track capacity of 25 tons.

Teesta Bazar Station on the Railway line to Connect Darjning, West Bengal To Gangtok 

Between Sevoke and Rangpo, there will be three stations: Teesta, Melli, and Riyang, all of which are in West Bengal. Teesta Bazar station could be an underground railway station. This comes between the Sivok to Rangpo rail projects. The length of the platform of this station is six hundred and twenty metres, on which a full-length train could stand. There are six excess tunnel for emergency purposes to evacuation.

Teesta bazar connects Darjning to Gangtok so it could be convenient for the passengers who want to go to Draining or Gangtok

Current status of the Railway Line 

Completion of the project has done sixty to sixty-five per cent, from next month we will initiate track work.

With an initial deadline of May 2015, IRCON International was awarded the project in May 2010 for a total of Rs 4,084.69 crore. The revised cost of the project is Rs 12,474.07 crore. The project will be completed by the end of the year 2025, according to the  DRM Alipurduar. (With inputs from ANI)