A major breakthrough has been achieved in the construction of a rail project in West Bengal. A tunnel under the Sivok-Rangpo rail project reached a breakthrough on March 30, 2024. This marks a significant milestone in the project’s progress.
The breakthrough occurred in the T-7 tunnel, which is 3082 meters long. It is followed by an access tunnel, a single-platform cavern with six cross-passes, totaling 800 meters in length. The tunnel also has meticulous ventilation to ensure passenger safety and comfort. It is situated near the Teesta in the Kalimpong District of West Bengal, which is considered a vulnerable and challenging geological and seismic area. To address the vulnerability of the groundmass, the latest and most advanced tunnelling technology, the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM), has been employed in the project.
The Sivok-Rangpo rail project is a crucial component of the improving railway infrastructure of India. It will connect the states of Sivok and Rangpo, providing alternate connectivity to the state of Sikkim. The project consists of 14 tunnels, 17 bridges, and five stations, with a total length of 45 kilometres. The longest tunnel, T-10, is 5.3 kilometres long, while the longest bridge, Br-17, is 425 meters long. To date, 92.31% of the tunnelling work has been completed.
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The final lining of three tunnels, T-14, T-09, and T-02, has been completed, and work on the remaining tunnels is in progress. The entire project alignment is predicted to pass through tunnels for approximately 38.64 kilometres. The project is one of the most prestigious ongoing national projects in India, and it is hoped that it will provide a better rail connection to Sikkim once it is completed.
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