New Delhi, September 14, 2026: Mizoram’s first direct railway connection to its capital has completed a year of operations, with the 51.38-km Bairabi-Sairang railway line carrying more than 15 lakh passengers and handling over 2,500 freight wagons since its inauguration on September 13, 2025. The railway line, which connects Bairabi with Sairang through four newly developed stations at Hortoki, Kawnpui, Mualkhang and Sairang, has brought passenger and freight services closer to Aizawl, Mizoram’s administrative and commercial centre. The project crosses difficult hill terrain and includes 153 bridges and 45 tunnels. Six bridges are more than 70 metres high, with the tallest rising 114 metres, while the tunnels together extend for nearly 16 kilometres. Passenger connectivity has expanded through long-distance services linking Sairang with Guwahati, Kolkata and New Delhi. A Sairang-Silchar passenger service was added in January 2026, providing another connection with Assam’s Barak Valley. Over the past year, these services have completed more than 1,100 trips, with passenger demand remaining high. The Sairang-Kolkata service recorded average occupancy above 140 per cent. In comparison, the Sairang-Guwahati service averaged above 110 per cent and the Sairang-Anand Vihar Rajdhani Express above 145 per cent, according to railway information. Sairang station has recorded more than 5.54 lakh passenger movements during the period, averaging about 3,300 passenger movements a day. Passenger ticket sales across the services have generated about INR 54 crore for Indian Railways. The corridor has also emerged as a freight route for Mizoram. The first cargo train reached Sairang on September 14, 2025, carrying more than 26,000 bags of cement from the STAR Cement siding at Tetelia near Guwahati. Since then, more than 2,500 wagons of freight have been delivered at Sairang. About 70 per cent of the cargo comprised construction materials such as cement, stone and sand, while other consignments included rice, fertilisers and automobiles. Automobile logistics received a further boost in December 2025 when the first automobile consignment, comprising 119 Maruti cars, reached Sairang from Changsari near Guwahati. The corridor has since handled 156 wagons of automobiles, according to the supplied data. Rail connectivity is also opening a new channel for local produce. The first parcel consignment from Sairang was booked on September 19, 2025, carrying anthurium flowers to Delhi through the parcel van of the Sairang-Anand Vihar Rajdhani Express. The expansion of passenger and freight connectivity is expected to support tourism, local commerce, and market access, while providing an alternative to longer road journeys between Mizoram and other parts of the country. The Bairabi-Sairang line therefore represents more than an expansion of the railway network in the Northeast: its first year of operations shows how passenger mobility, freight movement and market access can develop around new transport infrastructure.