Guwahati, 10 July (HS): A journey that currently takes nearly six hours between Gohpur and Numaligarh in Assam will be reduced to just 20 minutes with the construction of India's first rail-cum-road underwater tunnel beneath the Brahmaputra River, marking a major leap in the country's transport infrastructure.

The ₹18,662-crore Gohpur–Numaligarh Tunnel has been approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). The project comprises a 15.79-km twin-tube underwater tunnel forming part of a 33.7-km four-lane access-controlled greenfield corridor connecting Gohpur on NH-15 with Numaligarh on NH-715. On completion, it will become India's first and the world's second rail-cum-road underwater tunnel.

Designed to integrate road and rail transport in a single corridor, the tunnel will strengthen multimodal connectivity across the Northeast by linking national highways, major railway routes, airports and inland waterways. The project is expected to improve freight movement, reduce logistics costs, facilitate industrial expansion and boost trade across Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and other northeastern states.

The tunnel is also strategically significant as it will enable faster movement to border areas, improve disaster response capability and strengthen national security infrastructure in the region. In addition, the project is expected to generate nearly 80 lakh person-days of employment, creating both direct and indirect livelihood opportunities.

The project will be executed under the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode with a targeted completion period of five years. Once operational, the Brahmaputra underwater tunnel is expected to emerge as a landmark engineering achievement and a key driver of economic growth, regional integration and infrastructure development in Northeast India.-----------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash