Mizoram’s new Sairang railway line is set to connect with Myanmar’s Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, boosting India’s Act East Policy. The ambitious project promises enhanced regional connectivity, economic growth, and cross-border trade opportunities across the Northeast.
Mizoram Governor, General Vijay Kumar Singh (Retd.), on Saturday announced that the newly completed Sairang railway line is planned to be integrated with the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project (KMMTTP) in Myanmar, marking a significant step in India’s Act East Policy. The Governor made the remarks while interacting with a visiting media team at Raj Bhavan, expressing confidence that the strategic extension between the Sairang railway line near Aizawl and the Kaladan project area will progress smoothly.
A Raj Bhavan official stated that the Governor highlighted the transformative potential of the infrastructure projects currently underway in Mizoram. He described the recently inaugurated 51.38-kilometre Bairabi–Sairang railway line as a “game-changer” that would propel Mizoram into a new era of connectivity, economic integration, and regional growth.
The Bairabi–Sairang section, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Aizawl on September 13, links Bairabi in southern Assam to Sairang on the outskirts of the state capital. The project, executed by the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), is regarded as one of the most challenging and ambitious railway construction feats in Northeast India.
According to a senior NFR official, the engineering marvel consists of 45 tunnels, 143 bridges, and four new railway stations at Hortoki, Kawnpui, Mualkhang, and Sairang. One of the bridges surpasses the height of Delhi’s famous Qutub Minar, underlining the scale and complexity involved in building the line across rugged terrain marked by steep hills and fragile geology.
The official emphasized that despite extremely challenging terrain, heavy rainfall, and difficult logistics, the NFR construction team executed the project with precision, ensuring world-class engineering standards. The new line marks a historic milestone, providing railway connectivity to the capital of Mizoram for the first time and integrating the state into India’s national railway grid.
With the completion of the Bairabi–Sairang project, rail connectivity has now reached the capitals of four Northeastern states—Assam (Dispur), Tripura (Agartala), Arunachal Pradesh (Naharlagun near Itanagar), and Mizoram (Sairang near Aizawl). Work is also underway to connect Imphal, the capital of Manipur, and Kohima, the capital of Nagaland, to the railway network.
The NFR is simultaneously working on linking the India–Myanmar border by rail through both Manipur and Mizoram. A final location survey is already underway for the 111-km Imphal–Moreh broad gauge line, which will provide a direct rail approach to the border town of Moreh.
Additionally, the NFR proposes to construct a broad gauge line from Sairang to Hmawngbuchhuah in Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district, which lies close to the Myanmar border. This extension would serve as a crucial link to the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, which forms a major component of India’s strategic outreach toward Southeast Asia.
The proposed 223-km Sairang–Hmawngbuchhuah railway project, with an estimated cost of ₹15,000 crore, had previously been shelved due to concerns over economic non-viability. However, Mizoram’s state government and the state’s Members of Parliament have consistently pushed for its revival, citing the importance of the route for regional development and cross-border connectivity. A series of meetings were held with NFR officials in both Guwahati and Delhi, eventually strengthening the case for reconsideration.
The NFR official acknowledged that while the project may not be economically feasible from a purely commercial viewpoint, its strategic significance under the Act East Policy makes it essential. The Kaladan project aims to establish a transport corridor connecting India’s eastern ports to Myanmar’s Sittwe port, inland waterways, and onward to Mizoram, thereby providing a critical gateway to Southeast Asia.
However, the official also noted that the final survey work has been delayed due to the internal political and security situation in Myanmar, which remains under military rule following the recent turmoil in the country. Despite this challenge, officials remain optimistic that progress will resume once conditions permit.
If completed, the link between the Sairang railway line and the Kaladan project would enhance India’s connectivity to Myanmar, improve trade routes, deepen strategic ties, and open new economic opportunities for Mizoram and the broader Northeastern region. The development is expected to significantly boost commerce, tourism, and socio-economic growth across frontier areas.
