According to Dipak Dash, India will first receive a twin-tube underwater tunnel that will allow for the transportation of both vehicles and trains, facilitating the quicker deployment of troops and munitions in the event of an emergency.
The building of a 15.8-kilometer twin tube tunnel connecting Gohpur and Numaligarh across the Brahmaputra River in Assam has been approved by an interministerial panel led by the expenditure secretary. A single rail track will be accommodated in one of the tubes.
When trains pass through this tube, there won't be any vehicle movement according to the design. The trains will be powered by electricity, and the track will be ballistic.
The entire 33.7-kilometer project, which includes the railway track, approach roads, and tunnel, will cost about Rs 18,600 crore.
After the project is finished, the trip from Gohpur to Numaligarh will take only 30 minutes instead of the current six and a half hours, cutting the distance from 240 km to 34 km.
Connectivity to Manipur, Arunachal, and other northeastern states will be improved as a result. The defense ministry, railroads, and road transportation will pay for the project.
These will be constructed 32 meters below the deepest bed level of Brahmaputra and are intended to be two unidirectional tunnels with two lanes each.
After the job is awarded, the project is anticipated to be finished in five years. The projects will be presented to the Union cabinet for approval, according to officials, and this could take place before to the Assam assembly elections.
A road tunnel estimated to cost Rs 14,900 crore was approved by the finance ministry last year, with 80:20 funding from the defense and road transport ministries.
However, the government had identified three such tunnels for the North-East Chicken Neck Corridor, across Brahmaputra in Assam, and on the Maranahally-Addahole (Shiradi Ghat) stretch in Karnataka after deciding to build road-cum-railway tunnels where practicable.
This was initially reported by TOI on October 6, 2025. According to officials, the cost has increased due to the inclusion of railroad track in one tunnel.
