In this image posted by @RailMinIndia via X on April 16, 2025, a bridge that erected as part of the Sivok-Rangpo Rail Project, in Sikkim. Eight out of 13 major bridges have now been completed.
| Photo Credit: X@RailMinIndia via PTI

GUWAHATI

The Ministry of Railways has sanctioned a final location survey for a new railway line in Sikkim. The Guwahati-headquartered Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) will conduct the ₹2.25 crore survey for the project, which is envisaged to connect Melli, on the State’s boundary with West Bengal, to Dentam on the India-Nepal border, a spokesperson of the railway zone said.

The proposed route, about 75 km long, would be a “strategic extension” of the under-construction Sivok-Rangpo railway line, which is expected to be operational by 2027. Sivok is in West Bengal, and Rangpo is in Sikkim.

“This move marks a major step forward in expanding rail connectivity to the southern and western regions of Sikkim. The proposed route aims to bridge a vital infrastructure gap, linking remote towns like Dentam with the national railway network,” NFR spokesperson Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said on Saturday (May 10, 2025).

According to the NFR, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw directed the survey following a demand from Sikkim’s lone Lok Sabha member, Indra Hang Subba.

Melli, a key entry point to southern and western Sikkim, is likely to serve as a junction for the proposed extension.