Indian Railway Board assures Sikkim Rail link construction to start in 2011

GANGTOK: The Chairman, Railway Board Mr. Vivek Sahai along with General Manager (Construction) NF Railway Mr. Keshab Chandra, Divisional Railway Manager, Katihar Mr. BS Patil, Managing Director IRCON (Construction Company) and its officials made their visit to Sikkim on 28th May 2011 and the visiting team also conducted a coordination meet, which was the first of its kind with the Chief Secretary, Government of Sikkim.

During the meet Mr. Sahai said that the work for construction of railway link to Sikkim will begin in full swing from the month of October which can be also viewed by the public at large. Furthermore Mr. Sahai added that there exists minute problem in regards to construction in North Bengal region between 0-5km and every positive step are being carried out to solve the persisting problem to link Sikkim with rest of the nation through railways.

Whereas the chief engineer, Border Roads Organization (BRO) placing his concern that construction of railway link might cause damage to the only lifeline to Sikkim that is NH31A . in response Mr. Sahai said that the construction company EIRCON is now equipped with modern equipments by which they can continue their work with out hindering the traffic along NH31A and added that EIRCON has performed numerous works in the hilly terrains like Jammu and Kashmir and even in Malaysia.

Adding more Mr. Sahai informed that sufficient distance will be maintained by the railway from NH31A during construction and most importantly maximum efforts will be initiated for safeguarding of wild life and environment of the region. All matters were discussed threadbare during the meet including the very important land acquisition.

The meeting also suggested of forming a coordination committee considering the smooth, proper construction of railway link in Sikkim which will consist of BRO, Railways, concerned State Governments department officials like Transport, Mines and Geology, Forest etc. On 29th May Mr. Vivek Sahai along with his team Nathula border and it can be expected that in days to come may be in the second phase of railway connectivity from Rangpo to Nathula as earlier proposed by the State Government will be looked upon.

The coordination meeting was chaired by CS Mr. ND Chingapa and also present from the State Government side were former CS Mr. T.T.Dorjee.

(Sikkim Mail)

Chairman Indian Railway Board Visits Sikkim to review rail projects

Gangtok, May 27.: The long awaited rail link of Sikkim with other parts of the nation is going to be realized soon. The state government since many years was putting up their grievance of rail and air connectivity to the central government and last year the preliminary survey of rail connectivity was carried out connecting Sikkim with New Jalpaiguri station, north Bengal. The company conducting the survey in its first report had mentioned that the stretch will be of 52 km but in the final survey the route was decreased to 44.3 km which included 32km under tunnels. Furthermore the Railway Ministry after going through the report even sanctioned Rs. 3380 crores for carrying out the rail project for the state of Sikkim where by the then Railway Minister Ms. Mamta Banarjee even laid the foundation stone at Rangpo, mining where the platform was proposed earlier.

Considering the rail connectivity in Sikkim the Chairman of Railway Board Mr. Vivek Sahai along with General Manger (Open line) Mr. Keshav Chandra, General Manager (Construction) NF Railway Ms. Vijayakanta, Deputy General Manager and Secretary to General Manager Mr. Hafi Singh, Divisional Railway Manager, katihar Mr. BS Patil, Chief Engineer (Construction) Mr. SC Rajak and Deputy Chief Engineer (Construction) NF Railway will be visiting the state on 27th May to carry out the inspection along with holing a meet with the Chief Secretary, Government of Sikkim and the nodal department in regards to rail connectivity.
Furthermore it is also learnt from the sources the Chairman will be even paying a visit to Nathula on 28th May.

The State Government considering the rail connectivity in state has proposed the rail link till Nathula but under the first phase of the railway link the state of Sikkim is scheduled to be linked from Sevoke till Rangpo, Khani Khola and Khani Khola is proposed to be the new platform whereas earlier proposed platform of mining going to be the railway yard. The inspecting team of the railway board the construction company ERICON will also be present during the meet.

Sikkim train track work to start by year-end

Siliguri, May 20: The laying of tracks on the Sevoke-Rangpo route aimed to include Sikkim in the railway map will start at the end of this year, senior officials of the Northeast Frontier Railway have said.

The doubling of the tracks that connect north Bengal to the Northeast would also commence shortly, followed by laying of tracks between Chulsa and Naxal in the Dooars, the officials said.

“As of now, we are carrying out surveys and studies on the hill terrain through which the rail route would be built till Rangpo in Sikkim,” said S.P Singh, the deputy chief engineer (constructions) of the NFR posted in New Jalpaiguri (NJP).

“The data collected through such studies are being regularly sent to Delhi where the designing is being done to incorporate necessary alterations and changes. Also, as we have a section of forest cover and the presence of wildlife near Kalimpong, it is imperative that we obtain no-objection certificate from the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) before the commencement of the construction.

“Given the present state of progress, it seems that we would be able to start laying the tracks by the end of this year.”

The project, launched by Mamata Banerjee as railway minister in 2009, is considered ambitious, given the nature of the terrain. She had also announced that the rail track would be extended to Gangtok from Rangpo and another route from Mirik too would connect the capital of Sikkim to the plains in Bengal. Mirik in Kurseong sub-division is around 50km from here.

“The surveys on both these routes (Rangpo-Gangtok and Mirik-Gangtok) are complete. We are waiting for the final nod and funds in the coming days to lay tracks on these routes,” Singh said.

On April 19, a high-level team of MoEF officials had visited Siliguri to see the proposed rail route to Rangpo and assess its impact on the hills and the environment as a whole.

The deputy chief engineer said a preliminary survey had been also carried out for the Chulsa-Naxal route in the Dooars. “It is a 16km stretch and the rail line would move into Naxal (not Naxalbari), a small hamlet on the Jaldhaka-Jhalong-Bindu route, from the main track that passes through the Dooars,” Singh said. “Here too, we need to have permission from the Union forest ministry and the state forest department to execute the project. A new station has been proposed at Metelli, near Chulsa in the Dooars.”
“The work of doubling tracks in the two stretches — Ambari-Falakata to New Mainaguri and New Cooch Behar to Samuktala Road — will, however, start as soon as railway land is available for laying the second track on these routes,” the NFR official said. “Around Rs 20 crore has been allotted for these projects.”

Singh also said the new broad gauge track between Siliguri Junction and Aluabari Road — a second alternative route between Islampur and Siliguri — is ready. “It was also formally inaugurated by the rail minister on May 17 and we expect to commission it by May 31,” he said.

Once commissioned, NFR sources said, the “railbus” (a single compartment train with an engine and capacity of around 70 people) will start running between Bagdogra and Siliguri Junction.

Sikkim Rail link construction begins

GANGTOK, July 23: The 44-km long Sevoke to Rangpo Rail link construction work has just begun.


This is the first phase work and will include soil cutting, tunnel construction and bridge and station building in different places.

While speaking with media persons today, general manger of India Railway Construction Company (IRCON) AK Gupta said they are yet to get clearance from the West Bengal Forest Department even as the first phase work has started. With this anomaly, the general manager wasn’t sure that the work may complete within its stipulated time frame of 2015. “We are waiting clearance certificate of Mahananda Wild Life Sanctuary, which falls under West Bengal Government. Around five kilometre stretch falls within this sanctuary,” he said.

Besides, technical hitches had disabled IRCON to start the work full-fledged since the completion of final survey in December 2009.

Talking about difficulties faced while carrying out construction works, Gupta explained that working in hills as compared to the planes were challenging as they need to construct a number of tunnels along rough topographies. “There will be around 32 tunnels along the 44-km long rail link, for which Indian Railways has already given permission,” the general manger said

We are stepping into a new dawn for Sikkim: Pawan Chamling

A significant milestone: VP Hamid Ansari

Rangpo,October31: Mr. Hamid Ansari, Vice President of India, laid the foundation stone for Sivok-Rangpo rail link on Friday, October 30, at a Rangpo site. Those present included Mrs. Ansari, Governor of Sikkim, Mr. BP Singh, Mrs. Singh, Ms. Mamata Banerjee, Union Minister for Railways, Mr. Mukul Roy, Union Minister of State for Shipping, Dr. Pawan Chamling, Chief Minister of Sikkim, Chief Secretary and other officials, Government of Sikkim, and representatives and officials from Railways.
Speaking on the occasion Mr. Ansari said, “I am very happy to participate in today’s function and lay the foundation stone for the new broad gauge line between Sevok and Rangpo that would provide the first ever rail link to Sikkim. This is a significant milestone in providing the rail connectivity to the state”.
He hoped that the national project would be completed on time. It is also gratifying that further extension of this line from Rangpo to Gangtok is being planned and the survey for the same has been carried out, he said. He also said, establishing rail connectivity would not only lead to further economic development but also increase the number of tourists coming to the state.
Chief Minister Dr. Pawan Chamling in his address said, “Today is a red letter day for Sikkim and the Sikkimese people as the dream project that we pursued with the wholehearted support and endorsement of the Central Government has come to a full circle”.
As a Himalayan State, CM said, Sikkim is face to face with certain specific problems and hardships caused by its locational disadvantages and as a landlocked State, “we are deprived of easy access to regular communication and transportation linkages with the outside world”.
“With the only existing 31A National Highway to link Sikkim with the rest of the Country and the world, we are hard pressed to build other channel of communication for the State. Frequent disruptions due to landslides and disturbances in the neighbouring areas give us a sense of isolation and cause extreme hardships at times. However, today I feel this story belongs to the past and we are now stepping into a new dawn”. He said, “I am personally grateful to the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh and convey the gratitude of my people to the Government of India and to the Ministry of Railways and the Railway Board for making our cherished dream a reality”.

Chief Minister said, “Together with the completion of the first phase of the project upto Rangpo, we would also eagerly look forward to the second phase of the project to be extended to Gangtok as part of the policy of the Ministry of Railways to provide rail link to all State Capitals. In fact, Madam Benerjee has been kind to let us know that preliminary engineering and traffic survey for extension of rail line from Sivok-Rangpo to Gangtok has been completed in March 2009. My Government will give topmost priority in helping the Railways to finalize the locational surveys, acquire land and render any assistance required”.
He further said, “I would like to share our dream and plan to extend the railway track upto Nathula border post standing at 14, 400 feet separating India with Tibet Autonomous Region of China. We are aware that countries like Switzerland has created special railway line in high altitude area over and above 14,000 feet like the Jungfraujoch (pronounced as Un-fra-yok) on top of Europe and in Mount Titlis, creating an engineering wonder”. “In the same way”, CM said, “I would like to urge upon the railway authorities to take advantage of the scenic beauty of Sikkim together with its strategic location to create another wonder of the world in the railway history surpassing all past achievements”.

Sikkim chugs into country’s rail map

Rangpo/Sevoke, Oct. 30: Eighty-year-old Ratna Bahadur Rai wants to live for at least five more years. Reason: his half-a-century old aspiration to board a train from Sikkim to reach Siliguri.

As Vice-President M. Hamid Ansari today laid the foundation stone for a landmark railway project to connect Rangpo to Sevoke, Rai cheered along with thousands of others. The old man had trekked from Mazitar to the Mining Stadium Ground in Rangpo to witness the event which will for the first time place the Himalayan state on the railway map of India. The railway link is expected to be extended to Gangtok, around 40km from Rangpo, the town on the Sikkim-Bengal border.

“I huffed and puffed as I walked the hilly terrain, but I was determined to come to Rangpo. In the 50s, when I was a little more than 20 years old, I used to carry oranges, ginger and wool bought from Tibetan traders on bullock carts to reach Geillkhola near Kalimpong,” recollected Rai. “The goods were loaded on the little train that used to chug out of the station everyday to Siliguri. I had always wanted to board the train but could not as after some years, the service was discontinued because of landslide. It used to take 24 hours for a return journey from Geillkhola to Rangpo.”

Ansari, who considers the plan to connect Sikkim to the rest of the country by trains an engineering achievement, had a word of appreciation for the Indian Railways. “It was only recently that a train was flagged off in a similar hilly terrain in Jammu and Kashmir. The effort of the railway ministry is appreciable and we look forward for execution of this project which was a long-drawn aspiration of Sikkim residents.”

Sikkim chief minister Pawan Chamling, who was present at the event with governor Balmiki Prasad Singh, thanked the railways. “Today is a red letter day for Sikkim. So far, the sole means of communication was NH31A. It is good our state has now been included in the rail map and we look forward to see the route extended to Gangtok and trains leaving from our state capital in the coming years.”

Railway minister Mamata Banerjee announced in Hindi that two computerised passenger reservation centres would be set up in Rangpo and Gangtok in a month. Passing on necessary instruction to Northeast Frontier Railway officials on the stage, she said: “Introduction of railway services will not only improve communication but the economy of the region as a whole. It is a big project and we are determined to finish the first phase and then extend it up to Gangtok, unlike others who simply lay foundation stones and turn oblivious when it comes to execution.

“If we can lay railway tracks in Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh, we can do the same in Sikkim. We have come here only after passing the work orders and allocating Rs 1,400 crore for it.”

The laying of foundation stone has not only brought communication hopes but fuelled job expectations as well.

Ajit Raphel, a second year student of ITI Rangpo, was seen sitting at the venue with a group of friends. “We are being technically trained and opening of rail route will definitely help us get more job opportunities,” he said.

Foundation stone laid in Rangpo, Mamata’s convoy rushed to Sevoke to lay another foundation stone for the same project. She announced an award of Rs 10 lakh for the NFR for performing well.

Pic: Sikkim Rail Foundation Stone at Rangpo

The foundation stone for a railway link from Sevoke near Siliguri to Rangpo, a town on the Bengal-Sikkim border, was laid on Friday. The project will put Sikkim on the railway map of India. It is now linked to the rest of the country only by road, NH 31A. The tracks will cover a distance of 52.7km. Work is expected to be complete in five years.