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DIMAPUR — In another major step towards completion of Dimapur-Kohima new broad gauge line connectivity project, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) recently achieved a major milestone in the second phase of the project.
An update from NFR chief PRO, Sabyasachi De, informed that the breakthrough of tunnel No. 4 between Molvom-Pherima station that measures 1319 meter in length including 151 meters cut and cover was achieved on January 24. It is the 2nd longest tunnel in phase-II of the project.
The construction of the tunnel started from portal–1 side on March 10, 2021, while the work from portal–2 started on January 23, 2023. It informed that the rock strata encountered was mainly shale and extremely weathered in nature with seepage of water present at few locations, inside the tunnel.
“To construct the tunnel, railways had to face lots of problems as continuous rains since April 2022 and extremely poor quality of soil in tunnel No. 4 has led to squeezing and sliding at portal–2 affecting the progress. Guidance from Geological Survey of India and independent consultant were sought to solve the problems,” the statement read.
The average rate of underground excavation was 41.25 meters per month. It stated that the underground excavation work was executed by using New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM) and by deploying 210 nos of manpower round the clock since the starting of the tunnel.
It informed that the with the final breakthrough of tunnel, underground excavation of 1168 meters has been completed and added that the final lining of the tunnel is targeted for completion in May 2024.
Constructing new railway lines to connect all the state capitals of north-eastern region is going on under capital connectivity projects and constructing of a new broad gauge railway line from Dimapur to Kohima in Nagaland is one such project. The total length of project is 82.5 km (2.75 km in Assam and 79.75 Km in Nagaland) having 08 new stations namely Dhansiri, Dhansiripar, Shokhuvi, Molvom, Pherima, Piphema, Menguzuma and Zubza. The project includes 24 major bridges, 156 minor bridges, 06 road over bridges, 15 road under bridges and 21 tunnels of 31 km length.
The total anticipated cost of the project is INR 6,663 crore.