With 25,900 quintals of rice, foodgrains arrive in Mizoram via rail for the first time

2 min readMar 5, 2026 08:54 PM IST

Nearly seven months after the first train chugged into Aizawl, Railways have transported its maiden foodgrain consignment to Mizoram capital — in a push for freight-loading in northeastern parts of the country.

Officials said that a cargo train, comprising 42 wagons carrying around 25,900 quintals of rice from Punjab, arrived at Sairang Railway station on Tuesday. Sairang is almost 20 kms away from the main Aizawl city.

On September 13, 2025, Aizawl was connected to the Indian Railways network for the first time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 51.38 km Bairabi-Sairang strategic line. With this, Aizawl became the fourth Northeast capital to be connected with the Indian Railways grid.

The first freight rake, comprising 21 cement wagons, was transported to Sairang shortly after inauguration, which marked the beginning of freight movement to the state.

Officials said that Sairang Terminal has handled more than 30 freight rakes, each consisting of 42 wagons, so far.
“During this period, 3.5 rakes (147 wagons) of cement were unloaded at the terminal. Along with this, the other commodities handled through rail include automobiles (two rakes), fertilizers (0.5 rake), stone chips (20.5 rakes) and sand (four rakes). It shows that Sairang is becoming an important centre for freight, along with passengers,” said a senior official of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR).

Officials also said that the first automobile rake carrying 119 passenger vehicles was received at Sairang in December 2025.

Last month, Railways facilitated the arrival of the first-ever full railway rake of foodgrains in the Kashmir valley. Like in the case of Mizoram, a 42-wagon train laden with rice arrived at the Anantnag goods shed from Sangrur rail terminal in Punjab.

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While coal accounts for more than 50% of the total freight loading of the Railways, foodgrains constitute another important bulk commodity as their transportation supports critical sectors of the economy and ensures food security for the population. It contributes nearly 5% to the Railways’ freight earnings.

Of the total domestic transportation of foodgrains, over 80% is carried out by the Railways, with the remaining share transported through roadways and waterways. In the financial year 2024-25 (up to February 2025), of the total transportation of 381 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of foodgrains, almost 306 LMT was moved by the Railways.

Dheeraj Mishra is a Principal Correspondent with the Business Bureau of The Indian Express. He plays a critical role in covering India’s massive infrastructure sectors, providing in-depth reporting on the connectivity lifelines of the nation.
Expertise & Focus Areas: Mishra’s journalism is focused on two of the country’s most capital-intensive and public-facing ministries:

Ministry of Railways: Tracking the operations, safety, and development of India’s vast railway network.

Ministry of Road Transport & Highways: Covering policy decisions, infrastructure projects, and highway development.

What sets Mishra apart is his rigorous use of the Right to Information (RTI) Actas a primary tool for news gathering. By relying on official data and government records, he ensures a high degree of accuracy and trustworthiness in his reporting. This data-driven approach has resulted in numerous impactful reports that hold public institutions accountable and bring transparency to government operations.
Find all stories by Dheeraj Mishra here … Read More

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