The railway connectivity of Northeastern states of India is one of the challenging task for Indian Government. Constructing new railway lines to connect all the state capitals of north-eastern region is going on under capital connectivity projects.
The Bairabi – Sairang New Line Railway Project to connect the North-eastern state of Mizoram to the rest of the country is one such project which is likely to be completed soon. This project once completed will mark the dawn of a new era in terms of communication and commerce, in the North-eastern region of the country especially in Mizoram. The Bairabi – Sairang project aims to create an additional 51.38 km of railway track in Northeast India.
N. F. Railway has completed the work of construction of the tallest pier of the project i.e Pier P – 4 of bridge no. 196 in the approach of Sairang station. Height of this pier is 104 meter which is 42 meter taller than the Qutub Minar. This is a hollow pier of 12 meter external diameter with wall thickness varying from 75 centimeters to 50 centimeters.
Due to topographical constraint, this pier is located within the centre of a river stream. Construction of the foundation of this pier within the running stream was a big challenge which has been accomplished by diverting the stream and deploying the extra piling machines.
The pier is designed in such a unique way that the pile cap is provided with four openings of 4.5 meter x 8.5 meter to allow the water to pass through it. With the completion of this pier, one of the most critical parts of the project has been accomplished.
Though there are many challenges in execution of this project like very less working season due to very heavy and prolonged monsoons, very tough and hilly terrain through deep forests, poor accessibility, non-availability of construction materials and skilled labor in Mizoram etc., Northeast Frontier Railway is making all efforts for fulfilling its commitment of earliest commissioning of the project. Work at all project sites are going on even at night shift.
With its completion, tourism and socio-economic development of the state and the region will get a much needed boost. Once operational, the project will prove to be important for connecting Mizoram with the rail network. People of the region will get long distance access across the country and uninterrupted supply of essential goods at low costs can be done to Mizoram to cater to the needs of the people.
