East Coast Railway (ECoR) successfully achieved breakthrough of Tunnel No.30 (1,043 metres) in the Sikarpai–Keutguda section of the Koraput–Singapur Road doubling project on April 14, 2026.
The 1043-m long tunnel has been executed entirely on a challenging five degree curve. Tunnelling was done simultaneously from both ends and ECoR achieved 100 per cent alignment accuracy.
Overall, 7,051 metres of tunnels were broken through and 2,475 metres were fully completed with lining and associated works during the year, along with additional breakthroughs on key doubling sections including Koraput–Rayagada and Koraput–Singapur Road corridors.
ECoR witnessed significant progress on the strategically important Khurda Road–Balangir new line project, where Tunnel T-4 (4,185 metres), the longest on the route, and Tunnel T-2 (1,775 metres) were successfully broken through, together accounting for nearly 6 kilometres of tunnelling through hilly terrain.
In addition, Tunnel T-5 and T-6 (250 metres each) were completed in July 2025, followed by the completion of Tunnel T-7 (1,975 metres) in November 2025, marking substantial advancement in finishing works.
