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India’s First Road-Rail Tunnel Under Brahmaputra

  • By Thetripurapost Desk, New Delhi
  • Feb 14, 2026
  • 860

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the construction of a 4-lane access-controlled greenfield corridor between Gohpur (NH-15) and Numaligarh (NH-715) in Assam.

The ambitious infrastructure project will feature India’s first underwater road-cum-rail tunnel beneath the Brahmaputra River.

The project will be implemented under the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode at a total capital cost of ₹18,662 crore.

A key component is a 15.79-km twin-tube tunnel to be driven using Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) technology. Each tube will accommodate two road lanes in either direction, while one of the tubes will also include provision for railway infrastructure. The total length of the corridor will be 33.7 km.

Travel Time Reduction and Decongestion


Currently, travel between Numaligarh and Gohpur requires a circuitous 240-km journey via the Kaliabhomora bridge near Silghat, taking nearly six hours and passing through Numaligarh, Kaziranga National Park and Biswanath Town.

The new alignment is designed to drastically reduce both distance and travel time, ease congestion on existing routes and provide improved all-weather reliability.

Once operational, the tunnel will be India’s first underwater road-rail tunnel and only the second such facility globally, marking a significant technological milestone in the country’s infrastructure development.
Strategic Connectivity Boost for Northeast

Strategically, the corridor is expected to transform connectivity for Assam and neighbouring Northeastern states, including Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. By integrating with NH-15 and NH-715, the project will provide a seamless high-speed corridor across the Brahmaputra, improving troop mobility, disaster response capability and regional accessibility.

On the rail front, the alignment will connect the Rangia–Murkongselek section under the Rangia Division of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) on the Gohpur side, and the Furkating–Mariani loop line under the Tinsukia Division of NFR on the Numaligarh side—strengthening multimodal freight and passenger movement.

Multimodal and Economic Integration

The corridor will link 11 economic nodes, three social nodes, two tourist nodes and eight logistics hubs. It will connect four major railway stations, two airports and two inland waterways terminals, enabling seamless multimodal integration across the region.

Economically, the project is projected to generate approximately 80 lakh person-days of direct and indirect employment. It is also expected to catalyse industrial growth, reduce logistics costs, enhance freight efficiency and unlock new trade and investment opportunities across the Brahmaputra valley.

Officials indicated that the mega project reflects the Centre’s sustained focus on accelerating infrastructure-led growth in the Northeast through technologically advanced, strategically significant and economically transformative initiatives with long-term socio-economic dividends.