Bhubaneswar: India is set to build its first underwater twin-tube road and rail tunnel beneath the Brahmaputra River, linking Assam with Arunachal Pradesh in a landmark infrastructure project valued at ₹18,662 crore.
The 34-km integrated corridor will feature a four-lane highway and a railway line, with cross passages every 500 metres to ensure emergency evacuation and maintenance access. The underwater tunnel section, stretching about 15.8 km, will connect NH-15 with the railway network, significantly improving cross-border connectivity between the two northeastern states.
Once completed, the project will slash travel distance from 240–250 km to just 34 km, reducing travel time from nearly six hours to about 20 minutes.
Officials say the tunnel will have major strategic and economic significance, strengthening defence logistics, improving mobility in the sensitive Northeast region, and accelerating regional development, tourism, healthcare access, and trade.
The project is seen as a transformative step in India’s push to modernise infrastructure in the Northeast and enhance integration with the national economy.
-OdishaAge
