The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday approved the construction of an underwater 15.79 -km tunnel below the Brahmaputra river.
This twin tube tunnel will be a 4-lane access-controlled 33.5-km-road cum rail connectivity from Gohpur on NH-15 to Numaligarh on NH-715 section will include the 15.79 Km. tunnel below Brahmaputra. The railway will be in one of the tunnels. This would be India’s first underwater road cum rail tunnel.
Total capital expenditure for this project is estimated at Rs 18,662 crore. The project will be executed on an Engineering procurement Construction (EPC) basis.
Currently, Numaligarh on NH715 and Gohpur on NH-15 are connected via the existing Kaliabhambhora road bridge near Silghat on NH-52. This journey is 240-km long and takes six hours passing through Numaligarh, Kaziranga National Park and Biswanath Town. This distance will now reduce to 34-km and take half an hour.
The project will benefit to Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and other North -Eastern States. This will enhance the efficiency of freight movement, reducing logistics cost and driving economic growth in the region.
The project alignment connects two major national highways (NH-15 and NH-715) and two railway lines — Rangiya-Mukongselek section under NFR’s Rangiya division of NFR on Gohpur Side and Furkating-Mariani loop line section under NFR’s Tinsukia Division on Numaligarh side.
Additionally, the project will connect 11 economic nodes, three social nodes, two tourist nodes and eight logistic nodes. It will connect four railway station, two airports, and two inland waterways facilitating faster movement of goods and passengers across the region.
The project will also generate approximately 80 lakhs person-days of direct and indirect employment.
Project Details
| Feature | Details |
| Corridor | Gohpur on NH-15 – Numaligarh on NH-715 |
| Length (km) | 33.7 Km. |
| Total Civil Cost (Rs Cr.) | 11,982.36 Cr. |
| Land Acquisition Cost (Rs Cr.) | 716.65 |
| Total Capital Cost (Rs Cr.) | 18,662.02 |
| Mode | Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC). |
| Twin Tube TBM Tunnel with Railway in one of the tubes | 15.79 Km. |
| Total Road cut & cover | 1.26 Km. |
| Total Rail cut & cover | 4 Km. |
| Economic / Social / Transport Nodes Connected | Airports (02 ) : Donyi Polo Holongi Airport Itanagar and Tezpur AirportRailway Stations (04) : Numaligarh Railway Station, Gohpur Railway Station, Golaghat Town Railway Station, Simaluguri JunctionInland Water way Terminals (02): Biswanath Ghat Water way terminal, Tezpur Water way terminalEconomic Nodes (11) : Numaligarh Industrial Area, Jorhat DIC, IIDC Titabor, Industrial Area Junakinagar, Industrial Estate Nagaon, IIDC Demow, Industrial Estate Sivasagar, IIDC Naltali, Industrial Area Dolabari, Mini Industrial Area Biswanath, MMLP Jogighopa.Social Nodes (03) : 1 Tribal district – Dima Hasao; 02 Aspirations Districts-Udalguri & DarrangTourist Nodes (02) : Kaziranga National Park & Deopahar Archaeological Site |
| Major Cities / Towns Connected | Numaligarh, Tezpur, Gohpur Dibrugarh in Assam & Itanagar In Arunachal Pradesh |
| Employment Generation Potential | 80 Lakhs Man-Days of Direct & In-direct |
| Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) in FY-25 | Estimated at 4680 Passenger Car Units (PCU) |
