The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved construction of 4-Lane Access-Controlled Greenfield connectivity from Gohpur on NH-15 to Numaligarh on 715 section including 15.79 km of road-cum-rail tunnel under the river Brahmaputra in Assam. The project will be developed at a total capital cost of Rs.18,662 crore ion Engineering procurement Construction (EPC). Currently, the distance between Numaligarh on NH715 and Gohpur on NH-15 is 240 km through the existing Kaliabhambhora road bridge near Silghat on NH-52 which takes 6 Hours passing through Numaligarh, Kaziranga National Park and Biswanath Town. To address these challenges, the project is proposed to be developed as 4-Lane Access-Controlled Greenfield connectivity from Gohpur to Numaligarh with road-cum-rail tunnel below the river Brahmaputra. This would be first underwater road-cum-rail tunnel in the India and second in the world. The project will provide significant benefit to Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and other Northeastern states. This will enhance the efficiency of freight movement, reducing logistics cost and driving socio-economic growth in the region.
The project alignment integrates with two major National Highways (NH-15 and NH-715) and two railway lines, i.e. Rangia-Mukongselek Railway Section under Rangia Division of NFR on Gohpur side and Furkating-Mariani loop line section under Tinsukia Division of NFR on Numaligarh side. The project providing seamless connectivity to key economic, social, and logistics nodes across Assam. Additionally, the project will enhance multi-modal integration by connecting with 11 economic nodes, 3 social nodes, 2 tourist nodes and 8 logistic nodes, providing enhanced connectivity with 4 major railway stations, 2 airports, and 2 inland waterways thereby facilitating faster movement of goods and passengers across the region. Upon completion, the project will play a pivotal role in strategic considerations, regional economic growth, strengthening connectivity between major economic centers and opening new avenues for trade and industrial development. The project will also generate approximately 80 lakhs person-days of direct and indirect employment, and will open new avenues of growth, development and prosperity in surrounding regions.
