India’s first underwater Road-cum-Rail tunnel

Prelims: Current events of national and international importance

Why in News?

Recently, the Cabinet approved India’s first underwater twin-tube road–rail tunnel, the second such project globally.

Location – Assam (Brahmaputra river region).
Approved by – Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).
Connectivity – Between Gohpur (NH-15) and Numaligarh (NH-715) corridor.
- Forms part of a 4-lane access-controlled greenfield corridor.
Key Features –

Aspects	Components
Total Length	33.7 km
Underwater Tunnel Length	Twin tube of 15.8 km
Project Cost	Rs. 18,662 crores
Construction Mode	Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode.
Distance Reduction	240 km to 34 km
Travel Time Reduction	*6 hours to 20 minutes*
Rail Integration	Rangia-Mukongselek Railway Section on Gohpur Side and Furkating-Mariani loop line section on Numaligarh side.
Employment Generation	~80 lakh person-days of direct and indirect employment.
Major Cities / Towns Connect	Numaligarh, Tezpur, Gohpur, Dibrugarh in Assam & Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh
Major Nodes Connect	Airports (02) – Dony Paulo Holongi. Airport, Itanagar Tezpur Airport. Railway Stations (04) – Numaligarh Railway Station, Gohpur Railway Station, Golaghat Town Railway Station, Simaluguri JunctionInland Waterway Terminals (02) – Biswanath Ghat Waterway terminal, Tezpur Waterway terminal Social Nodes (03) – 1 Tribal district – Dima Hasao 2 Aspirations Districts (Udalguri & Darrang) Tourist Nodes (02) – Kaziranga National Park Deopahar Archaeological Site And 11 more economic nodes.

Significance – Strategic Importance – Enhances strategic preparedness and disaster-response capabilities in Northeast India.
Regional Connectivity – Improves connectivity between Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and other Northeastern states.
Economic Boost – Facilitates trade, industrial growth, and logistics efficiency, reducing transport and logistics costs.
Tourism Development – Enhances access to Kaziranga National Park and other tourist nodes, boosting the tourism economy.
Multi-modal Integration – Enhanced connectivity with 04 Major Railway Stations, 02 Airport, and 2 inland waterways.

India’s first underwater Road-cum-Rail tunnel

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