India’s Railway Ministry today fast‑tracked the 34‑km Rangpo‑Gangtok line, earmarking Rs 9,000 crore to bring Sikkim’s capital Gangtok onto the national rail network.
The decision follows the Integrated Multimodal Network Planning Group’s evaluation under the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, which identified the link as a priority after the Sivok‑Rangpo project nears finish.
The 44.5‑km Sivok‑Rangpo stretch, already 75% complete, will provide the first direct rail link into Sikkim. Its 14 tunnels and 13 major bridges earned it a cost tag of Rs 17,124 crore and a target end‑of‑2027 completion.
Officials said the Rangpo‑Gangtok extension is being examined now so that construction can pick up immediately after the Sivok‑Rangpo section opens, avoiding a long gap in connectivity.
A Rangpo tea shop owner, Ramesh Sharma, told reporters that the new line would boost tourism and bring new business to the town.
The railways will use the existing Rangpo‑Sivok corridor as a launchpad; once the 34‑km line is ready, Gangtok will have direct passenger and freight links to the rest of India.
The move follows a 2021 directive from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold officials accountable for the delay in the Sivok‑Rangpo project.
The Ministry will now move to secure land‑acquisition approvals, finalize engineering designs, and begin construction by mid‑2024, with the first trial runs scheduled for 2028.