PM Modi to flag off Mizoram’s first Rajdhani: Sairang-Delhi route with diesel-electric locomotive swap

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off Mizoram's first Rajdhani Express on September 13, linking Sairang station in Aizawl with Anand Vihar station in Delhi. 

Weekly services are set to commence from September 19, according to an official notification from the Northeast Frontier Railway.

The 2,510 km journey will take approximately 43 hours and 25 minutes, maintaining an average speed of 57.81 km/h. 

The train will stop at 21 stations, with key halts including Guwahati, New Cooch Behar, New Jalpaiguri, Malda Town, Bhagalpur, Patna, Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction, and Kanpur.

On inauguration day, the 20-coach train will depart Sairang at 10 am and reach Anand Vihar at 7:30 am on Monday. The regular service, train number 20597, will depart Sairang at 4:30 pm on September 19, reaching Anand Vihar at 10:50 am on September 21. The return journey, train number 20598, will leave Anand Vihar at 7:50 pm on September 21 and arrive at Sairang at 3:15 pm on September 23.

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A diesel locomotive will haul the train from Bairabi to Guwahati, as the Sairang-Bairabi line is yet to be electrified. At Guwahati, an electric locomotive will take over for the remainder of the journey to Anand Vihar.

Alongside the Rajdhani, PM Modi will also inaugurate a daily express between Sairang and Guwahati, and a tri-weekly service connecting Sairang to Kolkata.

The Bairabi-Sairang broad-gauge line, conceptualised in September 1999 and converted from meter gauge in 2016, has overcome challenges including difficult alignment, short working seasons, and frequent landslides. Its completion marks a significant milestone, bringing Mizoram's capital, Aizawl onto the national railway map.