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As per blueprint document accessed by CNN-News18, Sikkim station will cost Rs 240 crore and will be a “world-class railway station developed using state-of-the-art technology”
The Rangpo railway station will serve as a multi-modal transport hub spread over nine floors and is situated in a hilly terrain. (News18)
Sikkim will soon get its first railway station. CNN-News18 has exclusively accessed the blueprint of how this railway station will look once it comes up in Sikkim’s Rangpo by 2027.
Sikkim has not been on India’s railway map so far, but the new Sivok-Rangpo railway line of 44 km will be changing that by providing railway connectivity between West Bengal and Sikkim. Almost 80% of this railway line will be through tunnels, making it a very challenging project.
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While the railway line work is fast progressing, the government has now started work on Sikkim’s first railway station in Rangpo. As per a blueprint document accessed by CNN-News18, this station will cost Rs 240 crore and it will be a “world-class railway station of Sikkim developed using state-of-the-art technology” over an area of 21 hectares.
The station will match the character that is being adopted in the city and also cater to the variety of passenger potential. The Rangpo station will also serve as a “distinctive gateway to Sikkim with a futuristic vision of the next 20 years”.
Sikkim is the least populous and second smallest among the Indian states. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Siliguri Corridor, which borders Bangladesh. Rangpo is a town in Pakyong district in Sikkim and the gateway to the state.
The town borders West Bengal’s Kalimpong district and is situated along the Teesta River and Rangpo River. Rangpo is located 30 km from capital city Gangtok. Earlier, Sikkim was entirely dependent upon the road and external arrivals by air solely on the Bagdogra Airport in West Bengal. A new airport in Sikkim called Pakyong Airport was finally opened in year 2019.
But Sikkim still does not have any rail connectivity, which will also change from the year 2027. The Rangpo railway station will serve as a multi-modal transport hub spread over nine floors and is situated in a hilly terrain. The design of the station building will draw inspiration from traditional Sikkimese architecture, like sloping, given the high rainfall in the region.
The 44.96-km-long Sivok-Rangpo new rail link project has 14 tunnels, 13 major bridges and five stations.
About the Author
Aman Sharma, Executive Editor – National Affairs at CNN-News18, and Bureau Chief at News18 in Delhi, has over two decades of experience in covering the wide spectrum of politics and the Prime Minister’s Office….Read More
Aman Sharma, Executive Editor – National Affairs at CNN-News18, and Bureau Chief at News18 in Delhi, has over two decades of experience in covering the wide spectrum of politics and the Prime Minister’s Office…. Read More
September 22, 2025, 07:00 IST
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