Rs 18,662-crore tunnel under Brahmaputra gets Union Cabinet nod

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the construction of a tunnel under the Brahmaputra River from Gohpur on NH-15 to Numaligarh, including 15.79 km of road-cum-rail tunnel to be developed at a total capital cost of Rs.18,662 crore.

This would be the first under-river road-cum-rail tunnel in India and the 2nd in the world. The project will provide significant benefits for Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and other northeastern states. This project will enhance the efficiency of freight movement, reducing logistics costs and driving socio-economic growth in the region.

This tunnel will be considered an important strategic lifeline for Assam as well as the entire Northeast region, and it will also unveil a new aspect of commerce, tourism, and industrial development.

Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “On behalf of the Assamese people, we express our heartfelt gratitude to Nitin Gadkari for always supporting this visionary project. This project, which started the dream in 2021, will make it a reality—the distance between Numaligarh and Gohpur will be reduced from 240 km to only 34 km, and travel time can be reduced from 6 hours to just 20 minutes. Product transportation will be more efficient, faster, and less costly.” This 33.7-km project will include a twin-tube TBM road underwater tunnel with two lanes each under the Brahmaputra River, along with the provision of railway infrastructure in one of the tubes.

Currently, connectivity between Numaligarh on NH715 and Gohpur on NH-15 is 240 km through the existing Kaliabhambhora road bridge near Silghat on NH-52, which takes 6 hours to pass through Numaligarh, Kaziranga National Park and Biswanath Town. To address these challenges, the project is proposed to be developed as 4-lane access-controlled greenfield connectivity from Gohpur on NH-15 to Numaligarh with a road-cum-rail tunnel beneath the Brahmaputra river.

The project alignment integrates with 2 major National Highways (NH-15 and NH-715) and 2 railway lines, i.e., the Rangia-Mukongselek Railway Section under the Rangia Division of NFR on the Gohpur side and the Furkating-Mariani loop line section under the Tinsukia Division of NFR on the Numaligarh side. The project envisages providing seamless connectivity to key economic, social, and logistics nodes across Assam. Additionally, the project will enhance multi-modal integration by connecting with 4 major railway stations, 2 airports, and 2 inland waterways, thereby facilitating faster movement of goods and passengers across the region.

Upon completion, the project will play a pivotal role in strategic considerations, regional economic growth, strengthening connectivity between major economic centres and opening new avenues for trade and industrial development. The project will also generate approximately 80 lakh person-days of direct and indirect employment and will open new avenues of growth, development and prosperity in the surrounding regions.

Also Read: PM Narendra Modi unveiled projects in Guwahati