The country’s first underwater road-rail tunnel will be built between Gohpur and the Numaligarh Corridor in Assam.
Updated: February 14, 2026 3:55 PM IST
New Delhi: The central government has approved a plan to build an underwater road-rail tunnel under the Brahmaputra River in Assam. This will be the country’s first tunnel to carry both road and rail. It has been named the Twin Tube TBM Tunnel. One tunnel will carry the railway infrastructure, and the other will carry the road. Its total length will be 33.7 km. The proposal for this project was approved at a meeting of the Union Cabinet’s Economic Affairs Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday, February 13. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav stated that decisions worth Rs 1.6 trillion were taken on Friday.
First underwater-cum-road tunnel in India
The country’s first underwater road-rail tunnel will be built between Gohpur and the Numaligarh Corridor in Assam. Its total cost will be Rs 18,662.02 crore. Currently, the journey from Numaligarh to Gohpur is 240 kilometres and takes approximately six hours. However, a four-lane, access-controlled greenfield connectivity via a road-cum-rail tunnel under the Brahmaputra River has been approved. It will take only 30 minutes to cover the distance between Numaligarh and Gohpur. This is the first underwater-cum-road tunnel in the country and the only one of its kind in the world. This project will benefit Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and other Northeastern states. It will also facilitate freight movement, reduce logistics costs, and accelerate the development of the Northeast.
Expansion of Noida Metro
The Cabinet also approved the expansion of the Noida Metro. The 11.56-kilometre section between Noida Sector 142 and Botanical Garden has been approved. This section will have a total of eight elevated stations. This will bring the metro rail network in Noida and Greater Noida to 61.62 kilometres. It will connect with the Delhi Metro’s Blue Line and Magenta Line at Botanical Garden. This will make commuting from Noida to Greater Noida easier. The project is estimated to cost Rs 2,254 crore.
Railway projects
Along with this, three railway multitracking projects were approved, which include the third and fourth lines between Kasara and Manmad, the third and fourth lines between Delhi and Ambala, and the third and fourth lines between Bellary and Hospete. Their estimated cost is Rs 18,509 crore, and work on them is expected to be completed by 2030-31. These projects cover 12 districts in Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Karnataka and, upon completion, will expand the railway network by 389 km.
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