INR 200 crore railway damage reported in NE over 5 years, says Ashwini Vaishnaw

12 railways projects sanctioned

KOHIMA — An estimated INR 200 crore worth of railway tracks and structures under Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) were damaged due to floods, landslides and other disasters over the last five years.

This was informed by the Minister of Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, in his reply at the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

He mentioned that the geology of the NER is prone to landslides, and this geological factor is always accounted for at the stage of design and implementation of railway projects.

He claimed that due care is taken in the planning and execution of works to ensure minimum damage to the sensitive geological formations of the Eastern Himalayas. To achieve this in a scientific manner, the railway has undertaken studies and assessments of the environmental and geological impact of railway construction in the North Eastern Region.

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He stated that for all major railway projects in hilly terrain, including Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, detailed geotechnical investigations and environmental impact assessments are carried out before proceeding with construction to assess slope stability, rock and soil characteristics, vegetation cover and hydrological patterns.

He updated that Indian Railways, in collaboration with the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), designers, consultants and IITs, has conducted site-specific vulnerability assessments in the North Eastern Region. These include surveys of track stability, bridge safety, slope protection and seismic risk in hilly areas such as Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur.

The minister also replied that the planting of grass and shrubs on slopes to stabilise loose soil is carried out, and the construction of catch drains and check dams to guide and control debris flow has also been undertaken.

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Construction of embankments has been carried out to manage flow and prevent flooding, and tracks are constructed at higher elevations in flood-prone areas to avoid inundation, with the provision of adequate culverts, side drains and waterways to allow smooth discharge of floodwaters, he added.

He informed that the foundations of bridges are protected from scour by providing protection measures, and structures have been constructed in compliance with seismic codes to mitigate earthquake-induced damage. Further, to avoid disturbance to hill slopes in the geologically weak formations of the region, underground tunnels have been built for railway tracks in place of deep cuttings, based on feasibility, he stated.

New railway projects in this region are being designed in accordance with Indian Railways Standards Codes and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Codes. Special attention is given to the design of bridges, tunnels and embankments in the North Eastern Region, he replied.

12 railways projects sanctioned

The minister updated that as of April 1, 2025, a total of 12 railway projects (eight new lines and four doubling), with a total length of 777 km and costing INR 69,342 crore, located fully or partly in the NER, have been sanctioned. Of this, 278 km in length has been commissioned, and an expenditure of INR 41,676 crore has been incurred up to March 2025.

He maintained that rail transport is inherently more environmentally friendly due to its lower carbon footprint, greater energy efficiency and reduced congestion compared to roads.

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He said that compared to 2014 levels, 2,672 MT more freight has been shifted from road to rail, resulting in a saving of 143.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

“Besides this, Indian Railways undertakes a number of environmental initiatives, one of which is tree plantation. During the last 5 years, under such an initiative, Northeast Frontier Railway has planted more than 9 lakh tree saplings,” he stated.