Aizawl becomes fourth N-E capital with rail link, trial run successful
IN A big push for deeper connectivity in the North-East, Mizoram's capital Aizawl has now been linked to the national railway network via the Bairabi–Sairang line in the state.
Bairabi in Kolasib district, near the border with Assam, has so far been the only railhead in Mizoram. Sairang is a satellite town of Aizawl, around 20 km from the city.
A senior official of the Ministry of Railways said the formal inauguration of the Bairabi–Sairang line is likely to take place after June 17.
'The Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) will conduct the inspection of the project this week. Only after that can the inauguration happen, leading to the start of train operations. Barring a few sideworks, work on the line is almost complete,' the official said.
The inspection by the CRS, the railway safety audit body, is the final stage for the train operation.
A successful trial run to Sairang was conducted on May 1 by the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), marking a historic step.
Mizoram becomes the fourth N-E state with its capital city connected to the national railway network. The other three states are Assam, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh.
Until now the train used to go only up to 1.5 km in Mizoram. The Bairabi–Sairang New Line is a 51.38-km railway project with a revised sanctioned cost of Rs 5,021.45 crore.
According to data available with the Ministry of Railways, the project has achieved 94.52 per cent physical progress and 97.13 per cent financial progress. The project is divided into four sections with the Bairabi–Hortoki section (16.72 km) already commissioned in July 2024.
The remaining sections — Hortoki–Kawnpui (9.71 km), Kawnpui–Mualkhang (12.11 km), and Mualkhang–Sairang (12.84 km) — are slated for operations by June.
The project was also very challenging from the engineering point given the difficult terrain of Mizoram. The line has 48 tunnels with a total length of 12,853 m, alongside 55 major bridges and 87 minor bridges. It also includes five Road Over Bridges (ROBs) and six Road Under Bridges (RUBs). One of the notable structures is Bridge No. 196, standing at a height of 104 m, which is 32 m taller than the Qutub Minar.
The Bairabi-Sairang project is part of a broader, accelerated push by the Ministry of Railways to connect all N-E state capitals by rail and enhance infrastructure in the region. This involves numerous new line and doubling projects across Assam, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Manipur and Tripura. The railways work is yet to take off in full flow in Meghalaya because of years of opposition by local pressure groups against rail connectivity.
Other key new line projects underway include:
In addition to new lines, railway infrastructure is being upgraded with doubling projects like the Agthori–Kamakhya line with a new rail-cum-road bridge at Saraighat. This project in Assam has a length of 7.062 km, costs Rs 1,473.77 crore, and has a TDC of December 2029.
The two other major line doubling projects in Assam are New Bongaigaon-Agthori via Rangiya (142.97 km), which was commissioned in October 2024, and New Bongaigaon-Goalpara-Kamakhya doubling project, which is likely to be commissioned in March 2027.
According to data tabled by the Ministry of Railways in Lok Sabha on March 19 this year, overall, as of April 1, 2024, there were 18 railway projects (13 new line and 5 doubling) with a total length of 1,368 km and an estimated cost of Rs 74,972 crore at various stages of planning and implementation in the N-E region including Assam. Of this, 313 km of track length has been commissioned. An expenditure of Rs 40,549 crore had been incurred up to March 2024.
The data shows that 81 km of the 896-km new line projects and 232 km of the 472-km doubling projects have been commissioned, with expenditure of Rs 34,616 crore and Rs 5,933 crore, respectively.
According to the Ministry, as a part of railway infrastructure expansion in the North-East, in last 3 years (from 2021-22 to 2024-25), 21 surveys (17 new line and 4 doubling), of total length 2,499 km falling fully/partly in the N-E region including Assam, have been sanctioned.
The average budget allocation for infrastructure projects in the N-E region has also increased, with Rs 10,440 crore allocation for 2025-26.
Moreover, the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme includes several stations in the N-E for upgrades such as Dimapur (Nagaland), Agartala, Udaipur, Kumarghat and Dharmanagar in Tripura, Sairang (Mizoram), Imphal (Manipur), Naharlagun (Arunachal Pradesh), Mendipathar (Meghalaya), Rangpo (Sikkim), and 50 stations in Assam including major hubs like Guwahati and Kamakhya.
The region also currently has a pair of Vande Bharat trains running between Guwahati and New Jalpaiguri, with two new Amrit Bharat trains earmarked for the North-East.
Dheeraj Mishra is a Principal correspondent with The Indian Express, Business Bureau. He covers India's two key ministries- Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. He frequently uses the Right to Information (RTI) Act for his stories, which have resulted in many impactful reports. ... Read More
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
29 minutes ago
- Time of India
NRIs in the Gulf show keen interest in India's real estate industry as prices cool down
Indian expats in the UAE and Gulf may find this a timely moment to invest in the Indian property market, as major cities show signs of slowing price growth after three years of rapid gains. High demand from local buyers had previously created strong competition for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), but market dynamics are beginning to shift, according to a report by Gulf News. The change is prompting many NRIs in the Gulf to re-evaluate whether to invest in Indian real estate or explore property purchases locally in the UAE. 'More than ever, Gulf's NRI buyers are worried whether it makes any sense to buy or build a costly home in India and have it rented out or kept vacant,' said a property advisor. Another deciding factor is education. Expats increasingly base new home purchases in India on whether their children are pursuing higher studies in the country. Meanwhile, city markets are tightening, especially in the affordable and mid-range segments. 'Several cities – including Mumbai , Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Delhi-NCR – are now facing a genuine crunch in entry-level inventory,' said Azaz Motiwala, founder of Ikon Marketing Consultants to Gulf News. 'This supply tightening is most evident in the affordable and mid. segments, where steady demand is not being matched by fresh launches.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Linda Kozlowski, 67, Shows Off Her Perfect Figure In A New Photo Today's NYC Undo While cities like Bengaluru and Hyderabad posted modest 5% price increases in early 2025, they remain below the double-digit gains of previous years. Overall, price growth in most metros has slowed to single digits. (Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates) On the investment front, NRIs are also showing interest in fractional ownership of commercial properties, especially in the Rs 1 million to Rs 2.5 million range. These investments are reportedly yielding 8–10% annual returns, according to Anarock. Live Events Mortgage rates have also begun to shift in favor of buyers. 'Leading banks in India have reduced their lending rates by 5–10 bps in May 2025 (from the peaks in mid-2024),' said Owen. 'However, loan demand is not linked solely to interest rates – overall sentiment, which is significantly influenced by the geopolitical environment, also plays a big role.' Luxury and ultra-luxury housing continue to dominate new supply. 'Driven by steady demand, luxury and ultra-luxury homes – priced from Rs 15 million – dominated new supply in Q1-25 with a 42% share,' Owen added. With prices cooling, financing improving, and supply shifting, NRIs may find new opportunities in India's evolving real estate market.
Economic Times
36 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Mphasis, Persistent, and other IT stocks fall up to 6% amid renewed US-China trade tensions
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel Shares of Indian IT companies fell sharply on Monday, with some stocks losing up to 6.5%, as renewed trade tensions between the US and China spooked investors. The Nifty IT index slipped over 1% to 36,948 in morning trade, extending losses for the second straight selloff follows a social media post by US President Donald Trump last week, accusing China of violating a recent trade agreement. Trump claimed that China had "totally violated" the deal, which he said was made to prevent further economic instability in China caused by earlier tariffs.'China has totally violated its agreement with us. So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!' Trump posted on his platform, Truth IT companies earn a significant portion of their revenue from the US market. Past tariff battles between the US and China have triggered fears of a US recession and rising inflation, which tend to weigh heavily on IT trade tensions had eased briefly, the latest escalation has reignited concerns, dragging IT stocks Mphasis led the fall, tumbling 6.5% to Rs 2,392, after reports that FedEx Corp. had chosen Accenture Plc to handle much of its IT work, ending a long-standing relationship with Mphasis. The client accounted for 8% of the company's revenue. Persistent Systems dropped nearly 3% to Rs 5,471. Shares of Tech Mahindra and Wipro slipped over 1%, while HCL Tech Infosys , LTI Mindtree, and Coforge traded with marginal response, China accused the US of violating the trade deal and warned of strong retaliatory measures. In a statement on June 2, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said, 'If the US insists on its own way and continues to damage China's interests, China will continue to take resolute and forceful measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.': Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of Economic Times)
Economic Times
36 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Nykaa shares slip 4% as brokerages flag fashion losses after Q4 results. Should you buy, sell or hold?
Reuters The persistent drag from fashion losses and an uneven margin trajectory could remain sticking points, at least in the near term. Shares of FSN E-Commerce Ventures, the parent company of Nykaa, fell as much as 3.8% to Rs 195.50 on Monday after the company's March-quarter results showed strong growth in its beauty business but continued weakness in fashion margins, prompting a mixed response from brokerages. While most analysts retained a bullish view on the company's beauty and personal care (BPC) performance, target prices and ratings varied sharply, reflecting divergent expectations on the pace of margin recovery and the impact of fashion segment losses. Among brokerages, JM Financial, Nuvama, IIFL Capital, and Nomura maintained positive views on the stock, highlighting Nykaa's resilient BPC segment and margin expansion, but Kotak Institutional Equities retained a 'reduce' rating, citing expensive valuations and continued weakness in fashion. Kotak Institutional Equities revised its target price to Rs 185 from Rs 170, implying a 5.4% downside from Monday's intraday low. The brokerage said, 'We trim FY2025-27 EBITDA estimates by 3-4%, driven by higher losses in fashion and B2B.' Kotak noted the steep 880 basis points year-on-year drop in fashion contribution margins and said, 'Reasonable growth trajectory, but valuations remain rich.' Nomura, while maintaining a 'neutral' rating, raised its target price to Rs 216 from Rs 190, implying a 10.5% upside. The brokerage said, 'Nykaa's focus on onboarding new global brands, expanding stores and product curation should continue to drive strong revenue growth in BPC. But margin improvement thus far has been slow and needs to pick up for us to turn more constructive.' Most brokerages pointed to the robust performance of Nykaa's BPC segment, which saw a 31% YoY GMV growth in Q4FY25 and contributed significantly to margin improvement. JM Financial reiterated a 'buy' rating and said, 'Nykaa BPC segment is going from strength to strength…despite seasonality-driven operating deleverage.' The brokerage said it expects sharper margin improvement in the coming years, driven by customer repeat purchases and working capital gains. JM set a target price of Rs 250, suggesting a 27.9% upside from the current market also maintained a 'buy' rating, raising its target to Rs 235 from Rs 205. The brokerage cut FY26/FY27 earnings estimates by 6.7% and 6.0%, respectively, but said, 'We are increasing medium-term growth and profitability.' This revised target implies a 20.2% upside from current Capital, too, kept a 'buy' call, with a target of Rs 220, or a 12.5% upside, saying, 'Own brands remain a key growth and margin driver…Nykaa continues to outperform overall Beauty market growth despite competition.'Despite signs of recovery in fashion GMV—up 18% YoY in Q4FY25—margin pressures continue to raise red flags. Multiple brokerages highlighted this as a concern, even as some remained hopeful for a turnaround. Elara Capital, which raised its target price to Rs 215 from Rs 195, acknowledged the fashion drag, stating, 'Losses in fashion are likely hitting trough and recovery to be key monitorable.' The brokerage maintained an 'accumulate' rating, with a 10% potential upside. JM Financial said it had 'pushed Fashion segment breakeven to FY27', citing ongoing marketing investments that weighed on margins. Nomura noted, 'EBITDA margin: Strong in BPC: 8.6%; weak in Fashion: -20%.' However, it welcomed Nykaa's shift in strategy towards proprietary brands in fashion, including lingerie and western wear. Nykaa's consolidated Q4FY25 revenue rose 24% YoY to Rs 2,267 crore, while profit after tax surged 193% to Rs 20 crore. However, on a sequential basis, both profit and revenue declined. EBITDA margin for the quarter stood at 6.5%, ahead of consensus estimates, and the company posted a full-year net profit of Rs 66 crore, doubling from BPC business remained the cornerstone of growth. For FY25, BPC GMV rose 30% YoY to Rs 11,775 crore. The company continued to scale its proprietary 'House of Nykaa' brands and launched several global labels, including Chanel and GMV grew 18% YoY in Q4, but the segment remains a drag on overall opinions are split. Bulls argue that Nykaa's differentiated positioning in BPC, global brand partnerships, and improving margins justify its current valuation. Bears point to extended fashion losses and slower margin recovery as risks. Also read | Nykaa shares in focus after reporting 193% YoY surge in Q4 PAT With target prices implying anything from a 5% downside to nearly 28% upside, market sentiment on Nykaa remains divided. The stock may appeal to those willing to bet on the company's long-term growth in beauty and personal care, a segment where it continues to show strong execution. But for others, the persistent drag from fashion losses and an uneven margin trajectory could remain sticking points, at least in the near term. (Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of the Economic Times)
