Assam: Gohpur-Numaligarh tunnel project moves ahead, tenders invited for Brahmaputra road-rail link

Assam has taken a major step towards building a road-and-rail tunnel beneath the Brahmaputra, with the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) inviting tenders for the ambitious Gohpur-Numaligarh project.

The proposed corridor, expected to be completed within five years, will connect NH-15 at Gohpur with NH-715 at Numaligarh through a 33.77-km four-lane, access-controlled greenfield corridor. The project includes a 15.79-km twin-tube tunnel beneath the Brahmaputra, with one of the tubes incorporating railway infrastructure.

Assam BJP spokesperson Kamal Kumar Medhi, while briefing the media at the party headquarters in Guwahati on Thursday, said the project would be executed under the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) model at an estimated cost of Rs 18,662.02 crore. The estimated civil construction cost is Rs 11,982.36 crore, while Rs 716.65 crore has been earmarked for land acquisition.

The project also includes a 1.26-km cut-and-cover road section and a four-km cut-and-cover railway section. Once completed, it is expected to become India's first integrated road-and-rail underwater tunnel and potentially the world's second such project, according to the state BJP.

At present, the road distance between Gohpur and Numaligarh is around 240 km, with vehicles travelling through Kaziranga National Park and via the Kaliabhomora Bridge taking nearly five to six hours. The new corridor is expected to reduce the distance to around 34 km and travel time to approximately 20 minutes.

The corridor will connect with the Rangiya-Murkongselek railway line at the Gohpur end and the Furkating-Mariani Loop Line at the Numaligarh end. It will also directly link NH-15 and NH-715, improving connectivity between Numaligarh, Gohpur, Tezpur, Dibrugarh and Itanagar.

The project is expected to strengthen access to Donyi Polo Hollongi Airport and Tezpur Airport, besides improving connectivity to railway stations at Numaligarh, Gohpur, Golaghat Town and Simaluguri Junction. Inland waterway terminals at Biswanath Ghat and Tezpur are also expected to benefit from the integrated connectivity network.

According to Medhi, the corridor will improve multimodal connectivity to 11 economic centres, three social centres, two tourism centres and eight logistics centres. Industrial and economic hubs across Assam, including Numaligarh, Jorhat, Titabor, Nagaon, Demow, Sivasagar, Biswanath and Jogighopa, are expected to benefit from faster movement of people and goods.

The project is also expected to boost tourism by improving access to Kaziranga National Park and the Deopahar Archaeological Site, while strengthening economic links with Dima Hasao, Udalguri and Darrang.

The proposed tunnel is being projected as a strategic connectivity link for the Northeast, particularly for Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. By providing a faster connection between the northern and southern banks of the Brahmaputra, it is expected to reduce freight movement time and logistics costs.

The project also has strategic significance for national defence, as it would provide an alternative and resilient corridor for the movement of supplies, equipment and personnel towards the country's border areas.

The estimated annual average daily traffic on the corridor is around 4,680 passenger car units. During construction, the project is expected to generate nearly 80 lakh person-days of direct and indirect employment.

Medhi said the project would transform connectivity and provide a major boost to commerce, industry, tourism and logistics in Assam and the wider Northeast.

He also said the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre had invested more than Rs 1 lakh crore in Assam's road connectivity over the past 12 years. Major projects completed during this period include the second Saraighat Bridge, Dhola-Sadiya Bridge, Bogibeel Bridge, second Kaliabhomora Bridge and Guwahati-North Guwahati Bridge.

Several other bridge projects, including the Jorhat-Majuli, Palasbari-Sualkuchi, Dhubri-Phulbari, Narengi-Kuruwa and third Saraighat bridges, as well as the under-construction Dhunaguri-Majuli Bridge, involve substantial investment, he said.

Medhi further highlighted the completion of four-lane highways including Jorhat-Tinsukia, Nagaon-Hollongi and Lumding-Silchar, besides ongoing and proposed projects such as the Kaziranga Elevated Corridor, Silchar-Barapani-Guwahati Greenfield Road, Baihata-Tezpur four-lane highway and Guwahati Ring Road.