The Indian Railways have begun the construction of the new rail line from North Bengal to Sikkim that will pass through the foothills of the Kanchanjungha mountain range and the Tiesta river valley.

An official press release said the groundbreaking ceremony was held on February 20 in the presence of North-East Frontier Railway General Manager Shiv Kumar and senior officials of the Railways as well as Ircon International, a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Railways.

Ircon has been awarded the project in view of its vast experience in constructing mega railway proejcts in India and abroad, including the line in Jammu and Kashmir, which offered similar challenges.

The alignment connecting Rangpo from Sivok is 44.4 km long, more than 70 per cent of which will be through tunnels. The work also involves spanning of deep gorges/valleys with the likely bridge pier height more than that of Delhi's Qutab Minar.

According to the release, the project cost is estimated to be approximately Rs. 3300 crore. The work is expected to be completed in five years. When completed, this project will greatly improve the connectivity to Sikkim and will boost the State's economy and tourism, it added.