Gangtok, Oct 30 Vice President Hamid Ansari will lay the foundation stone of the first ever railway line (Rangpo-Sivok railway line) to Sikkim at Rangpo today.

Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, Sikkim Governor Balmiki Prasad Singh and Sikkim Chief Minister Dr. Pawan Chamling will also present on the ocassio.n

Sikkim will have the first ever rail connectivity with the laying of foundation of the new broad gauge railway line between Sikkim's small township of Rangpo and West Bengal's border town of Sivok.

This 52.7 km long new broad guauge Rangpo-Sivok line will be constructed at a cost of Rs. 1339.48 crore and has been declared as a 'National Project' for which 75 per cent of the fund would be provided by Ministry of Railways through their gross budgetary support and balance 25 per cent as an additionality by the Ministry of Finance.

The survey for further extension of this line from Rangpo upto Sikkim's capital Gangtok (69 km) has also been completed recently and survey report is under examination in the Ministry of Railways. (ANI)