Railway kick starts ₹1,339-cr new line in Sikkim

The project of rail connectivity to Sikkim is being completed on a fast-track basis with officials of the Northeast Frontier Railway making it possible. The new rail line will start from Sevoke in West Bengal to Rangpo in Sikkim, a distance of 45 km where the tracks will cover 13 bridges and 14 tunnels, with stations in Rangpo, Ryang, Teestabazar and Melli. The project will cost ₹1,339 crore, of which ₹607 crore has already been sanctioned in the current fiscal. The need for a railway line in Sikkim, which is situated near the India-China border, had gained momentum after the Doklam stand-off in 2017 and the recent clashes in Ladakh. Nathula in East Sikkim, which also borders China, is 56 km away from Gangtok.