1340 Cr. Railways project connecting Sikkim
New Delhi .The 1340 crore rupees rail project connecting Rangpo in Sikkim to the rest of the country via Sevoke in West Bengal is expected to be completed by 2015.It will be the first step towards linking the capital of small and landlocked border State of Sikkim to other parts of the nation. The foundation stone for this rail route was laid by the Vice President of India Mohemmad Hamid Ansari on 30th of October 2009. The 53 kilometer long proposed Rangpo - Sevoke rail route will have five stations- Melli, Tista Bazar ,Geilkhola, Riang and Sevoke besides the border town Rangpo. The proposed rail link will also provide this mountainous State with the much needed alternative link since the only life line available to it in the form of National Highway 31-A,connecting it to Siliguri in West Bengal, often gets snapped due to frequent landslides, particularly during the Monsoon.