3 km of tunneling left for completion of Sevoke – Rangpo railway: Final Location Survey of Rangpo – Gangtok rail link approved

PRAKASH ADHIKARI and SANJAY AGARWAL, EOI, GANGTOK / RANGPO, NOVEMBER 27, 2024 : The Railway Ministry has informed Parliament that only three kilometers of tunneling remains for the completion of the much-anticipated Sevoke-Rangpo rail link, while the Final Location Survey for the Rangpo-Gangtok railway line project, necessary to prepare the Detailed Project Report (DPR), has been sanctioned.
In a written reply to a question from Lok Sabha MP from Sikkim, Indra Hang Subba, on the expected date of completion of the Sevoke-Rangpo railway project, the details of the project cost, and the extension of the railway line from Rangpo to Gangtok, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has informed that the anticipated cost of the 44-km Sevoke-Rangpo railway project is Rs 12,132 crore. An expenditure of Rs 7,032 crore has been incurred up to March 2024, with an outlay of Rs 2,330 crore for the year 2024-25.
The Sevoke-Rangpo railway project involves about 39 km of tunneling, out of which 36 km of tunneling has been completed, the Railway Minister has informed. The completion of railway projects depends on factors like land acquisition by the State Government, forest clearance by officials of the Forest Department, the shifting of infringing utilities, statutory clearances from various authorities, geological and topographical conditions of the area, and the law and order situation in the area. All these factors have a bearing on the completion time and cost of the projects.
The Railways Minister has informed that the Final Location Survey for the Rangpo-Gangtok new line project for the preparation of the DPR has been sanctioned by the Ministry.
Lok Sabha MP from Sikkim Indra Hang Subba has welcomed the clarity provided by the Railways Minister regarding the Sevoke-Rangpo railway project. He shares the optimism of the Railway Minister that the Sevoke-Rangpo railway link will be completed and commissioned by the end of 2025, coinciding with the 50th Statehood Year of Sikkim.
“Sikkim is poised to enter its golden decade of development and progress under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang-Golay. The timely completion and inauguration of the Sevoke-Rangpo railway link will serve as a transformative catalyst, propelling Sikkim’s growth, particularly in the tourism and hospitality sectors,” Indra Hang Subba said on Wednesday.