India may soon get its first underwater railroad tunnel. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced this while addressing a gathering. It will be constructed under the Brahmaputra River. He said if everything goes well, the construction of the railroad tunnel will start during his tenure itself.
A railroad tunnel means that both trains and motor vehicles (cars, trucks, buses) can run on it.
The first underwater tunnel in Assam will be built between Numaligarh and Gohpur, according to Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma, at a cost of Rs 6,000 crores. The tenders in this respect would open next month, he added. This will be the first railroad tunnel to cross the Brahmaputra River in northeast India.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said while addressing a crowd, “I have a dream, will it be possible to construct a tunnel under Brahmaputra which can accommodate both rails as well as motor.”
He further said that the high command in Delhi had questioned him about the viability of building a tunnel under the Brahmaputra.
The Chief Minister said that just as the Atal tunnel has been made from inside the mountains, similarly a tunnel will be made from under the Brahmaputra. The CM told that two separate tunnels will be prepared for this. Trains will run on one of these and motor vehicles will run on the other.
After the construction of this tunnel, the distance between Numaligarh and Gohpur will remain only 33 km. Earlier it was 220 km and it used to take 5-6 hours to travel and after the underwater railroad tunnel, it will take around 40 minutes to reach. This tunnel will be about 35 kilometres long.
According to the CM of Assam, the first tender would go out on July 4, 2023. Additionally, he stated that if everything goes according to plan, building on this project will begin during his term following the compilation of the DIPR for land selection.
It's interesting to note that PM Modi has already given his approval for the project to bring the Brahmaputra's north and south closer.
