In this image, @RailMinindia released via X on April 16, 2025, a bridge that is part of Sikkim’s Sivok-Rangpo Rail Project. Eight of the 13 major bridges have now been completed. |Picture source: x@railminindia via PTI
Guwahati
The Ministry of Railways has approved the final location investigation of the new Sikkim railway line. A railway district spokesman said the Northeast Border Railway (NFR) at Guwahati headquarters will conduct a Rs 225 crore investigation into the project, which envisions linking Meli’s border with West Bengal and Dandan on the Indian-Nepal border on the border of the state.
The proposed route is approximately 75 km and will be a “strategic extension” of the Sivok-Rangpo railway line structure, which is expected to be operated in West Bengal by 2027, with Rangpo in West Bengal.
“This move marks an important step in expanding rail connectivity to the southern and western regions of Sikkim. The proposed route aims to bridge important infrastructure gaps and connect remote towns like Dandan to the national railway network,” NFR spokesman Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said on Saturday (May 10, 2025).
According to the NFR, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw directed the investigation at the request of Indra Hang Subba, a member of the lonely Lo Sabha in Sikkim.
Melli is a key point in Nancykkim and the West, and is likely to be the junction of the proposed expansion.
publishing – May 11, 2025 at 01:54 am
