New Delhi: The central government has cleared an infrastructure project in Assam that will allow both vehicles and trains to pass beneath the mighty Brahmaputra river. Connecting Gohpur and Numaligarh, the 34-kilometer twin-tube tunnel has been approved at an estimated cost of Rs 18,662 crore and is expected to transform connectivity, trade and employment across the northeastern states.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave the green light to the project, which will feature India’s first under-river tunnel capable of carrying both road and rail traffic.
Officials said that while the country already has under-river metro tunnels in Kolkata and a submarine tunnel planned under the Ahmedabad-Mumbai high-speed rail corridor, the Gohpur-Numaligarh project will be the first to combine highway and railway operations in a single twin-tube system.
At present, the journey between Numaligarh on NH-715 and Gohpur on NH-15 spans roughly 240 kilometres. It takes around six hours to complete the distance. Travellers travel through the Kaliabhomora Road Bridge, passing Numaligarh, Kaziranga National Park and Biswanath towns.
The new tunnel will cut through these obstacles with a four-lane and access-controlled greenfield highway running beneath the Brahmaputra. It will drastically reduce travel time.
The tunnel is set to become India’s first under-river road-and-rail passage and only the second such project in the world. It will provide major economic benefits to Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and other northeastern states by enhancing freight efficiency, reducing logistics costs and accelerating regional socio-economic development.
The route links two major national highways and two railway lines, including the Rangia-Mukongselek section (NFR, Rangia Division) and the Furkating-Mariani loop line (NFR, Tinsukia Division).
The project is designed to strengthen multi-modal connectivity through 11 economic nodes, three social nodes, two tourism nodes and eight logistics nodes. It will improve links to four major railway stations, two airports and two inland waterways, facilitating faster movement of goods and passengers.
Beyond connectivity, the tunnel will hold strategic importance, foster regional industrial growth and open new avenues for trade and commercial activities. Construction is expected to generate approximately 8 million man-days of direct and indirect employment, providing a boost to local economies.
The under-Brahmaputra tunnel will transform travel in the Northeast, reduce journey time, make transport easier, boost industry and social growth and highlight India’s engineering skills.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
