Lok Sabha Question No. 3059 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-11
Subject: Sevoke-Rangpo Railway Project
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Shri Raju Bista

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## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3059 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.03.2026

## SEVOKE-RANGPO RAILWAY PROJECT

## 3059. SHRI RAJU BISTA:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  current  status/completion  stage  of  the  Sevoke  Rangpo  Railway Project including the expected date of its completion;
- (b) whether any feasibility studies/surveys/proposals have been undertaken by the Railways for providing rail connectivity from the Sevoke Rangpo stations to Gangtok, Kalimpong and Darjeeling and if so, the details and present status thereof; and
- (c)  the  details  of  the  amount  of  funds  incurred  on  the  Sevoke  Rangpo Railway  Project  till  date  and  the  estimated  total  cost  of  the  project upon completion?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND

## ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a) to (c): Ministry of Railway has taken up the work of Sevoke-Rangpo (44 Km.) new line project to connect Sikkim. The latest estimated cost of the project is ₹11,973 crore. An expenditure of ₹8,358 crore has been incurred upto March, 2025, with an outlay of ₹2,940 crore for the year 2025-26.

Sevoke-Rangpo project is one of the most difficult railway projects as the terrain  passes  through  young  Himalayas,  which  are  full  of  geological surprises  and  numerous  problems.  This  section  predominantly  involves tunnelling of 39 Km length (14 tunnels).

## Status of Tunnels:

|   Sr. No | Tunnel No   |   Length(km) | Between Stations   | Status        |
|----------|-------------|--------------|--------------------|---------------|
|        1 | T-1         |          4.2 | Sivok-Riyang       | Completed     |
|        2 | T-2         |          0.9 | Sivok-Riyang       | Completed     |
|        3 | T-3         |          1.2 | Sivok-Riyang       | Completed     |
|        4 | T-4         |          3.9 | Sivok-Riyang       | Completed     |
|        5 | T-5         |          2.1 | Sivok-Riyang       | Completed     |
|        6 | T-6         |          3.9 | Riyang- Rangpo     | Completed     |
|        7 | T-7         |          3.1 | Riyang- Rangpo     | Completed     |
|        8 | T-8         |          4.1 | Riyang- Rangpo     | Work taken up |
|        9 | T-9         |          0.5 | Riyang-Melli       | Completed     |
|       10 | T-10        |          5.3 | Melli-Rangpo       | Work taken up |
|       11 | T-11        |          3.2 | Riyang- Rangpo     | Completed     |
|       12 | T-12        |          1.4 | Riyang- Rangpo     | Completed     |
|       13 | T-13        |          2.6 | Riyang- Rangpo     | Completed     |
|       14 | T-14        |          1.9 | Melli-Rangpo       | Completed     |

## Status of Major Bridges:

| Sr   | Bridge No(River      | Length(m)   | Between   | Status    |
|------|----------------------|-------------|-----------|-----------|
| No   | Name)                |             | Stations  |           |
| 1    | Br-02(Andheri Jhora) | 174.6       | Sivok-    | Completed |

|   2 | Br-03(Kali-Jhora)    |   369.4 | Sivok- Riyang   | Completed     |
|-----|----------------------|---------|-----------------|---------------|
|   3 | Br-04(Sweti-Jhora)   |    70.1 | Sivok- Riyang   | Completed     |
|   4 | Br-05(Riyang-Khola)  |    61   | Sivok- Riyang   | Completed     |
|   5 | Br-06(Rambi-Khola)   |   138   | Sivok- Riyang   | Completed     |
|   6 | Br-08(Gail Khola)    |    76.2 | Riyang- Rangpo  | Completed     |
|   7 | Br-09(Teesta River)  |   229.2 | Riyang- Melli   | Work taken up |
|   8 | Br-10(Melli Yard)    |   133   | Melli           | Work taken up |
|   9 | Br-13( Bhalu Khola)  |    30.5 | Riyang- Rangpo  | Completed     |
|  10 | Br-14(Tar Khola)     |    67.1 | Riyang- Rangpo  | Completed     |
|  11 | Br-15(Tumlong Khola) |   238.8 | Riyang- Rangpo  | Completed     |
|  12 | Br-16(SukhiyaKhola)  |   207   | Riyang- Rangpo  | Work taken up |
|  13 | Br-17(Rangpo Chu)    |   426.8 | Rangpo          | Work taken up |

## Status of Stations:

|   Sr No | Station       | Status        |
|---------|---------------|---------------|
|       1 | Sivok         | Completed     |
|       2 | Riyang        | Work taken up |
|       3 | Teesta Bazaar | Work taken up |
|       4 | Melli         | Work taken up |

| 5   | Rangpo   | Work taken up   |
|-----|----------|-----------------|

There are several challenges that affected the completion of the project works. Some of these are as under:

- i. Encounter of difficult rock strata in tunnels T8 & T10.
- ii. Proposal for diversion of Forest land, 3.26 Ha (for Riyang Yard) and 3.12 Ha (for Melli Yard & Bridge-9) are pending with The Government of West Bengal since March, 2024 which has affected the completion of the project.

Survey for Rangpo - Gangtok New Line (40 Km) has been completed and preparation  of  Detailed  Project  Report  (DPR)  has  been  taken  up.  Further, Darjeeling  is  already  connected  to  existing  Indian  Railway  Network  and Rail connectivity to Kalimpong is served by Teesta Bazar Station, Northeast Frontier Railway which is nearly 14 km away.

After preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR), sanctioning of project requires consultation with various stake-holders including State Governments  and  necessary  approvals  viz.  appraisal  of  NITI  Aayog, Ministry  of  Finance  etc.  As  sanctioning  of  projects  is  a  continuous  and dynamic process, exact timelines depend upon appraisals and approvals by various stakeholders.

Further, during  the last three years i.e. 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25 and the current financial year 2025-26, 23 surveys (14 New Line, and 9 Doubling) of total  length  2,519  Km falling  fully/  partly  in  North  East  Region  have  been sanctioned.

Completion of Railway project/s depends on various factors which include the following:

-  Land acquisition
-  Forest clearance
-  Shifting of infringing utilities
-  Statutory clearances from various authorities
-  Geological and topographical conditions of area
-  Law and order situation in the area of project site
-  Number of working months in a year for particular project site etc.

Various steps taken by the Government for effective and speedy implementation of rail projects include:

-  Substantial increase in allocation of funds.
-  Delegation of powers at field level.
-  Close monitoring of progress of project at various levels.
-  Regular follow up with State Governments and concerned authorities for expeditious land acquisition, forestry and Wildlife clearances and for resolving other issues pertaining to projects.

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