Brahmaputra Rail-Road Twin Tunnel Gets Cabinet Approval

The Union Cabinet has approved a major infrastructure project featuring India’s first underwater rail-cum-road tunnel beneath the Brahmaputra river. The 33.7-kilometre greenfield corridor will connect Gohpur on NH-15 with Numaligarh on NH-715 in Assam at an estimated cost of ₹18,662 crore. Executed under the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode, the project aims to transform connectivity across the Northeast.

Project Design and Key Features

The centrepiece is a 15.79-kilometre twin-tube tunnel under the Brahmaputra. One tube will accommodate rail provision, while the other will serve a four-lane access-controlled highway. The design also includes a 1.26-kilometre road cut-and-cover section and a 4-kilometre rail cut-and-cover stretch.

Once completed, it will be India’s first underwater road-cum-rail tunnel and only the second such structure globally. The corridor will significantly shorten travel between Gohpur and Numaligarh, which currently spans nearly 240 kilometres via the Kaliabhomora bridge route and takes around six hours.

Boost to Multimodal Connectivity

The project integrates with two national highways—NH-15 and NH-715—and connects two railway sections: the Rangia–Mukongselek line on the Gohpur side and the Furkating–Mariani loop line near Numaligarh.

It will link 11 economic nodes, three social nodes, two tourist nodes and eight logistics nodes. Improved access is also expected to four major railway stations, two airports and two inland waterway terminals. The corridor is designed to ease freight movement and reduce logistics costs across Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and neighbouring states.

Strategic and Economic Significance

The government has highlighted the project’s role in strengthening strategic connectivity in the Northeast. It is expected to support trade expansion, industrial growth and faster troop and goods mobility in a sensitive border region.

Important Facts for Exams

• The Brahmaputra is one of Asia’s major transboundary rivers, originating in Tibet as the Yarlung Tsangpo.
• EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) mode places execution responsibility on a single contractor.
• Greenfield projects are built from scratch without upgrading existing infrastructure.
• Multimodal connectivity integrates road, rail and inland waterways.

Regional Development Impact

The project is projected to generate nearly 80 lakh person-days of employment, both direct and indirect. It will connect key urban centres including Numaligarh, Tezpur, Gohpur, Dibrugarh and Itanagar, while also improving access to tourist destinations such as Kaziranga National Park.

Officials state that the corridor will reshape transport efficiency in the Northeast, cutting travel time, improving freight reliability and supporting long-term regional development.