Longest Rail tunnel Under Construction Connecting Imphal-Guwahati

The Indian Railways is constructing the country's longest rail tunnel connecting Imphal with Guwahati. The new rail line route is 111-km long under the high-earthen mountains, from Jiribam to Imphal.

According to reports, the construction is currently underway and reports say that about 70 percent of its work has been completed.

Around 62 km of this rail line will pass through the tunnel being built under the North Frontier Railway. The government is planning to commence the operations by 2023.

The work is being carried out under the National Capital Connectivity. The total length of this rail route is close to 111 km of which at least 62 km will pass through the tunnel. The total length of all the bridges on this line is 3.5 km. There will be 10 stations on the entire railway route.

Chief Engineer Rail Project, Sandeep Sharma said, "The 70.3km stretch of the rail tunnel has been completed, and the remaining work will also be completed soon," adding that the operation of trains will start by December 2023. "The biggest challenge was to make a tunnel under the 65-meter mountain of soil. Because at the time of excavation, there was a possibility of mishaps, as well as, the risk of soil collapse," reported News18.

"But the work is being carried out with caution and safety. This tunnel is the longest to be built under the soil. Although the country's longest tunnel is in Pir Panjal," he added

The Northern Frontier Railway has faced various challenges in making this rail tunnel and 70 percent of the work has been completed. 

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