The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the construction of a 4-lane access-controlled greenfield corridor from Gohpur (NH-15) to Numaligarh (NH-715) in Assam.
The project includes a 15.79 km twin-tube TBM road tunnel beneath the River Brahmaputra, with railway infrastructure provision in one of the tubes, forming part of a 33.7 km corridor. The total capital cost is ₹18,662 crore, to be executed under the Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) mode.
This will be India’s first underwater road-cum-rail tunnel and only the second such project globally.
Strategic Need for the Project
At present, connectivity between Numaligarh (NH-715) and Gohpur (NH-15) relies on the Kaliabhomora Bridge near Silghat (NH-52), requiring a 240 km journey of nearly six hours, passing through:
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Numaligarh
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The ecologically sensitive Kaziranga National Park
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Biswanath Town
The new tunnel corridor will drastically reduce travel distance and time, improving logistics efficiency while minimizing traffic pressure on environmentally sensitive zones.
Key Project Features
Corridor
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Gohpur (NH-15) – Numaligarh (NH-715)
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Total Length: 33.7 km
Tunnel Components
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Twin Tube TBM Tunnel (Road + Rail): 15.79 km
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Road Cut & Cover Section: 1.26 km
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Rail Cut & Cover Section: 4 km
Cost Structure
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Total Civil Cost: ₹11,982.36 crore
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Land Acquisition Cost: ₹716.65 crore
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Total Capital Cost: ₹18,662.02 crore
Multi-Modal Integration
The alignment integrates with:
National Highways
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NH-15
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NH-715
Railway Lines
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Rangia–Mukongselek Section (Rangia Division, NFR)
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Furkating–Mariani Loop Line (Tinsukia Division, NFR)
The project strengthens multimodal integration by connecting:
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11 Economic Nodes
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3 Social Nodes
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2 Tourist Nodes
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8 Logistics Nodes
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4 Major Railway Stations
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2 Airports
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2 Inland Waterway Terminals
Key Connectivity Highlights
Airports (2)
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Donyi Polo (Holongi) Airport, Itanagar
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Tezpur Airport
Railway Stations (4)
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Numaligarh
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Gohpur
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Golaghat Town
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Simaluguri Junction
Inland Waterway Terminals (2)
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Biswanath Ghat Terminal
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Tezpur Terminal
Major Tourist Nodes
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Kaziranga National Park
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Deopahar Archaeological Site
Major Cities Connected
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Numaligarh
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Tezpur
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Gohpur
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Dibrugarh
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Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh)
Economic and Strategic Impact
Freight & Logistics Efficiency
The corridor will significantly reduce logistics costs and travel time, boosting freight efficiency across Assam and the broader North-East region, including Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
Strategic Significance
Given its proximity to sensitive border regions, the project enhances strategic mobility and rapid deployment capability, strengthening national infrastructure resilience.
Employment Generation
The project is expected to generate approximately 80 lakh person-days of direct and indirect employment.
Traffic Projections
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Estimated AADT (FY-25): 4,680 Passenger Car Units (PCU)
Transformative Infrastructure for the North-East
The Brahmaputra underwater road-cum-rail tunnel represents a landmark engineering milestone and a major step toward integrated, multimodal infrastructure in the North-East. By reducing travel time, enhancing trade corridors, improving strategic connectivity, and supporting economic growth, the project is set to become a catalyst for long-term regional development and prosperity.
