Underwater tunnel across Brahmaputra gets govt nod
IN a first, India will get a twin-tube underwater tunnel that will have provision for movement of both vehicles and trains, boosting faster movement of forces and ammunition in case of any exigency, reports Dipak Dash.
An inter-ministerial panel, headed by the expenditure secretary, has given the green signal for the construction of a 15.8 km twin tube tunnel across the Brahmaputra River in Assam, connecting Gohpur and Numaligarh. One of the tubes will have a provision for a single rail track.
As per design, there will be no vehicular movement when trains run through this tube. It will have a ballistic track and the trains will run on electricity. The total project of 33.7km, including the tunnel, approach roads and railway track, will cost around Rs 18,600 crore.
Once the project is complete, travel time between Gohpur and Numaligarh will reduce from the current six-and-a-half hours to just 30 minutes, shortening the distance from 240 km to 34 km. This will enhance connectivity to Arunachal, Manipur and other northeastern states.
The project cost will be borne by road transport, railways and the defence ministry. Designed as two unidirectional tunnels with two lanes each, these will be built 32m below the Brahmaputra's deepest bed level. The project is expected to be completed in five years after the award of work.
Officials said the projects will be placed before the Union cabinet for approval and this may happen before the Assam assembly polls. Last year, the finance ministry had green signalled a road tunnel costing around Rs 14,900 crore with the provision of 80:20 funding by the road transport ministry and the defence ministry. But following a decision to build road-cum-railway tunnels where it's feasible, govt had identified three such tunnels for the Northeast chicken neck corridor, across the Brahmaputra in Assam and on the Maranahally-Addahole (Shiradi Ghat) stretch in Karnataka, which TOI first reported on Oct 6, 2025.
Officials said that because of the provision of the railway track in one tunnel, the cost has gone up.
