The Bairabi–Sairang line is an Indian railway line from Bairabi to Sairang in Mizoram under the Northeast Frontier Railway zone of Indian Railways. It is the only railway line that connects Aizawl, the capital city of Mizoram, with other parts of India. The project initiated in 2015, was completed and inaugurated in 2025. It reduce the travel time from Bairabi to Aizawl—from 6–7 hours by road to under 1 hour by train and Silchar in just 3 hours which used to take 8-12 hours by road, benefitting students, traders, medical patients and tourists with a more affordable travel option.
History
In 1099, the plan to built Bairabi-Sairang line conceived, but did not materialise due to the proposed alignment through deep forest, hence, in 2006 a survey for new alignment was completed and the new alignment was approved in 2008. The construction started in 2015. The 23% of the line is on bridges including 55 major bridges including one of India’s tallest pier bridge over the Kurung river, 30% through 45 tunnels, and the rest on steep unstable slopes in earthquake prone seismic zone 5, making construction riskier. Bairabi-Sairang rail line entails 142 bridges (55 major bridges and 87 minor bridges), and four stations, and land was acquired for the construction. The Northeast Frontier Railway completed the construction of the tallest pier in Mizoram in the approach of Sairang Railway Station, the height of this pier is . On 23 August 2023, a span under construction on the Sairang bridge collapsed, killing 26 workers.India railway bridge collapses during construction (Reuters via The Guardian) Key details of this project aside from Kurung Bridge are a long tunnel (the longest among 45 tunnels in this stretch), the long bridge near Hortoki station (the longest among 55 major bridges and 87 minor bridges in this stretch) & 66 scenic curves enroute.
In 2008, the total estimated cost of entire project as ₹619 crore, later revised to ₹2384 crores, then ₹5021.45 crores, and then in 2017 to ₹8605 crores, and actually costed ₹8,071 crore upon completion in 2025.Through forests & mountains, how Rlys overcame hurdles to build Mizoram’s Bairabi-Sairang line, The Print, 13 Sept 2025.
On 13 September 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the railway line with an opening service of the Sairang–Delhi Rajdhani Express, the Sairang–Guwahati Express and the Sairang-Kolkata Express.
Route
The route has one existing and four new stations at the time of construction, listed north to south:
Bairabi railway station, existing.
Hortoki railway station, new.
Kawnpui railway station, new.
Mualkhang railway station, new.
Sairang railway station, new.
Trains
Direct trains from Sairang near Aizawl are running to New Delhi , Guwahati , Kolkata and Silchar 154 kilometres (96 mi) which also connect other major cities, such as Agartala , Siliguri , and Dimapur .
Sairang-Anand Vihar Terminal Rajdhani Express, Kolkata-Sairang Express, Guwahati-Sairang Express & Silchar-Sairang Passenger are running only now.
Further extension
South spur to Kyauktau railhead to Sittwe in Myanmar
Zochachhuah (Zorinpui)-Sairang line, 223 km: In August 2015, Indian Railways completed a survey for a new route extension from Sairang to Hmawngbuchhuah/Zorinpui on Mizoram's southern tip on India–Myanmar border, which will provide rail connectivity to Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project (KMMTTP). In August 2017, survey for this line was completed. In August 2023, considering the strategic importance the Railway Board approved the commencement of "Final Location Survey" (FSL).Indian Railways mulling to link Myanmar border in Mizoram by rail, India Today, 2 aug 2023.
Zochachhuah (Zorinpui)-Kyaukhtu line: is 200 km planned railway line.
Sittwe–Kyaukhtu line in Myanmar, – exists and operational: This route has been operational since 2011. To integrate with other routes-network in Myanmar, it will be further extended 311 km by 2021–22, from Kyaukhtu in north to Ann in south and then south-east to Minbu where it will connect to Myanmar rail network as well as long Kyaukpyu port–Minbu–Kunming high-speed railway being planned by China.Myanmar in China’s Push into the Indian Ocean, Joshy M Paul, March 14, 2016, retrieved 20 January 2017
East spur to Kalemyo railhead in Myanmar
Aizawl-Zokhawthar line future spur, from where it will then be extended to the existing railhead at Kalay (also called Kale and Kalemyo) in Myanmar to form part of the ambitious Trans-Asian Railway.
Imphal-Moreh line 111km: in August 2023, the "Final Location Survey" (FSL) was already underway and it was expected to be completed soon. Future spur will be extended from Moreh in India to the existing railhead at Kalay in Myanmar.
Kalemyo-Shwebo line, a new link connecting the existing railheads at Kalemyo and Shwebo for a shorter direct route to Mandalay and beyond.
Current status
2025 Sep: Bairabi–Sairang section is operational, other extensions are in the planning stages.
See also
North Eastern Railway Connectivity Project
References