In another milestone achievement, the Sivok -Rangpo Rail Project has achieved a breakthrough in Tunnel No. 12 on 24th December, 2022. This is fifth main tunnel breakthrough in this project which was done in presence of officers of Northeast Frontier Railway, IRCON international limited and construction agency CS-Dhorajia along with local administration of West Bengal.
The length of Tunnel No. 12 is 1406 m located between Tarkhola and Shukia Khola in Kalimpong district of West Bengal. The tunnel traverses through vulnerable and challenging geological conditions of the lesser Himalayan range. To counter vulnerability of the groundmass, latest and most sophisticated tunnelling technology has been adopted. Not only the top class and well experienced engineers from India, but also the highly experienced foreign engineers are involved in this project. Breakthrough of the tunnel was another awaited moment, as there were many difficulties due to poor geology in the new Himalayan range.
Sivok Rangpo New BG Rail Line Project is about 45 km long consisting of 14 nos. tunnels, 17 nos. bridges and 5 nos. stations. 38.65 km of the entire project is passing through tunnels, out of this 25.094 km of tunnel mining work have been completed. At present all the activities related to construction of Tunnels, Bridges and Stations in the project are going on war footing basis and targeted to complete by December, 2023.
With its completion, the connectivity of the land locked state Sikkim will get a major boost. Once operational, the project will provide overall development for the state. People of the region will get long distance access across the country and uninterrupted supply of essential goods can be done to Sikkim to cater to the needs of the people.
