Green light to first road-cum-rail tunnel under Brahmaputra river
Kartavya Desk Staff
The Centre on Saturday approved the construction of India’s first underwater road-cum-rail tunnel, that will be built under the Brahmaputra river in Assam. The 33.7-km long project — which will have a 15.8-km twin tube tunnel under the river — has been approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). The stretch will connect Gohpur on NH-15 and Numaligarh on NH-715, cutting short the distance between the two Assam cities to just 34-km from the current 240-km. The travel time will be reduced to just 20 minutes from six hours now. The Cabinet also approved three Railways multi-tracking projects at a cost of Rs 18,509 crore and three highway projects at a cost of Rs 11,079 crore. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) officials said that the tunnel project will be an important milestone for developing Northeast as a gateway for ‘Act East Policy’. The 33.7-km four lane project will be developed at a cost of Rs 18,662 crore in Engineering procurement Construction (EPC) mode. “Currently, the connectivity between Numaligarh on NH-715 and Gohpur on NH-15 is 240-km from existing Kaliabhambhora road bridge near Silghat on NH-52 which takes 6 hours passing 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 road cum rail tunnel below the Brahmaputra river. This would be first underwater road cum rail tunnel in the India and 2nd in world,” said MoRTH in an official release. Apart from two national highways, the project alignment integrates with two Railway lines: Rangia-Mukongselek Railway Section under Northeast frontier Railway (NFR) on Gohpur Side and Furkating-Mariani loop line section under Tinsukia Division of NFR on Numaligarh side. The project will improve connectivity between Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and other Northeastern states. The estimated annual average daily traffic on the route is projected to be 4680 Passenger Car Units (PCU). The Cabinet also approved the widening of National Highway-167 from Gudebellur to Mahabubnagar on the Hyderabad-Panaji economic corridor to 4-lane standard in Telangana. The total cost of 80-km project is Rs 3175 crore, which will be developed on Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) under NH (O) scheme. The upgradation of the Ghoti–Trimbak (Mokhada)-Jawhar-Manor–Palghar section of NH-160A in Maharashtra and construction of 4-lane sections of Dhamasiya–Bitada/ Movi (47.46 km) and Nasarpore–Malotha (60.21 km) in Gujarat are another two highway projects approved by the Cabinet. In Railways, CCEA approved three multi-tracking projects: Kasara–Manmad 3rd and 4th line, Delhi–Ambala 3rd and 4th line and Ballari–Hosapete 3rd and4th line. The project has been taken up to decongest high density and highly-utilised routes of the Indian Railways. It will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by about 389-km, covering 12 districts across the Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra and Karnataka. 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