New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Narendra Modi, approved the Brahmaputra underwater tunnel project in Assam at a total capital cost of Rs 18,662 crore.
The project will build a 4-lane access-controlled greenfield corridor from Gohpur on NH-15 to Numaligarh on NH-715. It includes a 15.79-km road-cum-rail tunnel under the Brahmaputra river. The total project length will be 33.7 km. Authorities will execute it under the Engineering Procurement Construction mode.
At present, travellers cover 240 km between Gohpur and Numaligarh through the Kaliabhomora bridge near Silghat. The journey takes nearly six hours and passes through Kaziranga National Park and Biswanath Town. The new Brahmaputra underwater tunnel will reduce distance and travel time significantly.
Officials said the twin tube TBM tunnel will have two lanes in each direction. One tube will also carry railway infrastructure. The project will become India’s first underwater road-cum-rail tunnel and the second such structure globally.
Brahmaputra underwater tunnel to boost multi-modal links
The alignment will connect NH-15 and NH-715. It will also integrate with the Rangia-Murkongselek railway section and the Furkating-Mariani loop line under Northeast Frontier Railway. As a result, the corridor will provide seamless road and rail movement across Assam.
The project will link 11 economic nodes, three social nodes, two tourist sites and eight logistics hubs. Key connections include Donyi Polo Airport in Itanagar and Tezpur Airport. It will also connect major railway stations such as Numaligarh, Gohpur, Golaghat Town and Simaluguri Junction.
Tourist destinations like Kaziranga National Park and Deopahar Archaeological Site will gain faster access. In addition, the corridor will connect inland waterway terminals at Biswanath Ghat and Tezpur.
The government estimated that the project will generate around 80 lakh person-days of employment. It projected an annual average daily traffic of 4,680 passenger car units in FY-25. Officials said the Brahmaputra underwater tunnel will strengthen strategic mobility and drive regional economic growth across Assam and neighbouring northeastern states.
