Shillong: Mizoram is banking on its first railway line to reshape the state. The 51.38-km Bairabi to Sairang track opened on September 13 last year. It moved 1.5 million people in twelve months. Trains ran at over 100 percent capacity every single trip. Sairang station alone processed 554,000 passengers. That averages to 3,300 visitors daily.
Demand is crushing supply. The Sairang to Kolkata route hit 140 percent occupancy. The Sairang to Guwahati line saw 110 percent. The Rajdhani service to Anand Vihar topped 145 percent. Officials added a Sairang to Silchar service in early 2026. Ticket sales brought in 54 crore rupees. Tourism jumped 86 percent in the state.
Freight trains keep the economy moving. The first cargo shipment arrived on September 14 last year. It carried 26,000 bags of cement from the STAR Cement siding in Tetelia. More than 2,500 freight wagons arrived over the year. Most carried stone, sand, and cement. Maruti shipped 119 cars from Changsari in December 2025. Another 156 wagons hauled vehicles. Supplies of rice and fertilizer also arrived by rail.
Meghalaya remains a different story. Pressure groups keep blocking work toward Byrnihat, Jowai, and Shillong. They demand an Inner Line Permit before allowing any tracks. Plans remain stuck on paper. The state government actually sent money back to the ministry. Officials noted, "Plans of the Northeast Frontier Railway to take the line to Byrnihat, Shillong and Jowai have remained only on paper."
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