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The Union Government has approved major rail and road projects including the first ever multi-purpose tunnel under a river and that too below the massive Brahmaputra river.

Briefing the reporters of the decision taken by the Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs (CCEA) Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Minister for Information & Broadcasting in a presser held on Saturday the 14th of February 2026 said the construction of a four-lane access-controlled greenfield corridor from Gohpur on NH-15 to Numaligarh on NH-715 will come-up in Assam where a 15.79-km road-cum-rail tunnel under the Brahmaputra river will be constructed – a first for India.

Ashwini Vaishnaw said the project will be executed on the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode and completed as a strategic infrastructure initiative for the Northeast.

“This project will significantly enhance connectivity in Assam and across the North-Eastern region. It will improve freight efficiency, reduce logistics costs and drive socio-economic growth,” he added.

The 33.7-km project includes a twin-tube tunnel to be built using Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) technology beneath the Brahmaputra river, with one tube designed to accommodate railway infrastructure in addition to a two-lane roadway in each direction.

It may be recalled that this is India’s first underwater road-cum-rail tunnel and perhaps only the second of its kind, rail tunnel under a river, in the world.

To understand the importance if this project the present connectivity between Numaligarh and Gohpur requires a 240-km journey via the Kaliabhomora bridge near Silghat on NH-52, passing through areas including Kaziranga and Biswanath Town, taking nearly six hours.

The new tunnel under the Brahmaputra river is expected to drastically reduce travel time and traffic congestion.

The tunnel will include 15.79 km of underwater stretch, 1.26 km of road cut-and-cover section, and 4 km of rail cut-and-cover segment.

The corridor will integrate with two major national highways — NH-15 and NH-715 — and connect with two key railway lines: the Rangia–Murkongselek section under the Rangia Division of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) on the Gohpur side, and the Furkating–Mariani loop line under the Tinsukia Division of NFR on the Numaligarh side.

The project will link 11 economic nodes, three social nodes and two tourist destinations, including the Kaziranga National Park and the Deopahar Archaeological Site.

It will also enhance connectivity to major cities and towns such as Numaligarh, Tezpur, Gohpur, Dibrugarh and Itanagar.

In addition, the alignment will provide access to two airports- Donyi Polo Airport in Itanagar and Tezpur Airport- four railway stations, and two inland waterway terminals at Biswanath Ghat and Tezpur.

Apart from this massive project the CCEA has also approved three major multi-tracking railway projects spanning 12 districts across Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra and Karnataka, aimed at expanding capacity and improving efficiency across key freight and passenger corridors.

The three projects cleared by the Cabinet include the Kasara–Manmad 3rd and 4th Line in Maharashtra, the Delhi–Ambala 3rd and 4th Line covering Delhi and Haryana, and the Ballari–Hosapete 3rd and 4th Line in Karnataka.

The additional lines are expected to ease congestion on high-density rail corridors while significantly enhancing both freight movement and passenger handling capacity across these key routes.

Vaishnaw said the projects will improve rail connectivity to nearly 3,902 villages with a combined population of around 97 lakh people.

He added that the corridors will also enhance access to major tourist destinations such as Bhavli Dam, Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra/Srinagar, and Hampi — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — along with Ballari Fort, Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary, Tungabhadra Dam, Kenchanagudda and the Vijaya Vittala Temple.