New Delhi, 14 February (H.S.): The Union Cabinet approved the construction of a twin-tube Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) road-cum-rail underwater tunnel under the Brahmaputra River in Assam on Friday, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's chairmanship of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), with details shared by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at the National Media Centre on Saturday.

Spanning Gohpur (NH-15) to Numaligarh (NH-715), this 33.7 km, 4-lane access-controlled greenfield corridor—India's first and the world's second underwater road-rail tunnel—features a 15.79 km sub-river section at a total capital cost of ₹18,662 crore, executed via Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) mode.

The tunnel slashes the current 240 km route via Kaliabhomora Road Bridge near Silghat, trimming travel time by 6 hours and enhancing freight efficiency, logistics cost reduction, and socio-economic growth across Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and other northeastern states while linking NH-15 and NH-715, plus Rangiya-Mukongsellek and Furketing-Mariani railway sections.

Integrating 11 economic nodes, 3 social nodes, 2 tourist nodes, 8 logistics nodes, 4 major railway stations, 2 airports, and 2 inland waterways, the project will generate nearly 80 lakh person-days of direct and indirect employment, fostering seamless people, goods, and services movement.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar