Promoting the infrastructure and tourism of the state, Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang announced on the last day of Discover Rabong Cho-Deo Fest 2025 that the long-awaited railway project connecting Siliguri (Sevok) in West Bengal to Sikkim will be completed by 2027.
The project is expected to improve a significant improvement in connectivity, which will make the state’s travel easier and more accessible for tourists. In addition, Chief Minister Tamang revealed the plan to construct a Singam highway from Meli to further increase the transport network of the area.
Maintenance work on National Highway 10 (NH10) is currently underway. Once completed, the travel time between Siliguri and Sikkim is expected to be reduced to only two hours.
With the abolition of 28 manned level crossings (MLCs) during this period, NFR has made significant progress in increasing railway safety and infrastructure in Assam, Bihar and West Bengal.
CPRO Kapinjal Kishore Sharma of Northeast Frontier Railway said that between April 2024 and March 2025, the Northeast Frontier Railway ended 28 human level crossings (MLC) through a combination of Road Over Bridge (ROB), Road Under Bridge (ROB), Low Height Subway (LHS), Direct Close and Planned Diversion.
He further said that this infrastructure upgradation was done by various agencies like the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Railway Division, Construction Wing and Deposit Agencies in coordination with the state governments and other stakeholders. Kapinjal Kishore Sharma also mentioned that these developments have started changing transport landscape in Northeast India. Notable benefits include abolishing accident-affected level crossings, decreasing road congestion and travel delays, uninterrupted train operations and overall improvements in logistics and passenger movement.
