Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Mizoram on September 13 to inaugurate the Bairabi-Sairang railway line marks a historic milestone as it unveils the state’s first major railway connectivity since India’s independence in 1947. This 51.38-km broad-gauge line is a transformative step for both Mizoram and the broader North-East region and reflects how the region has gone from bandhs, boycotts and blasts to connectivity, calm, and celebration of culture. The project features 48 tunnels, 55 major bridges, 87 minor bridges and the height of bridge 196 is 104 metres — 42 meters taller than the Qutub Minar. This engineering marvel, part of the Modi government’s Act East policy, integrates Aizawl with India’s railway network via Silchar (Assam), reducing travel time to Silchar from six to eight hours by road to just three hours by rail. This project is all set to revolutionise Mizoram’s socio-economic landscape. For decades, Mizoram’s residents were forced to rely on costly, difficult, and time-consuming road or air travel, which limited their access to markets and opportunities. The new railway line now offers affordable transport and eases financial burden on common citizens and also allows for seamless transport of goods and in the same breath fosters cultural exchange by connecting........

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