Dimapur-Kohima railway line project work on in full swing: NFR 

Guwahati: Indian Railways is significantly contributing towards the transformation of the Northeastern states by executing several new railway line projects.

The construction of new railway lines to connect all the State capitals of the northeastern region is going on under capital connectivity projects. Construction of the new broad gauge railway line from Dimapur to Kohima in Nagaland is one of them.

Works on the project are going on in full swing. The new railway line would bring Nagaland’s capital city Kohima onto the broad gauge railway map of the country.

The 82.50 mm long Dimapur-Kohima new railway line project, which takes off from the Dhansiri station of Assam to Zubza adjacent to Kohima, is being undertaken by Northeast Frontier Railway Construction Organizationa with an anticipated cost of Rs 6,663 crore.

The total length of the project is 82.5 km (2.75 Km in Assam and 79.75 Km in Nagaland) having 8 new stations namely Dhansiri, Dhansiripar, Shokhuvi, Molvom, Pherima, Piphema, Menguzuma and Zubza.

The project includes 24 major bridges, 156 minor bridges, 6 road over bridges, 15 road under bridges, and 21 tunnels of 31 km in length. Tunnel number 7 between Pherima to Piphema is the longest tunnel of this project, which is 6,520 metre in length.

The project is divided into 3 phases for ease of commissioning. The first phase of 16.5 km from Dhansiri to Shokhuvi has been already completed in October 2021.

Passenger train services from Shokhuvi to Naharlagun in Arunachal Pradesh and Mendipathar in Meghalaya have been introduced recently to enhance intra-regional rail connectivity to various northeast states.

The next phase from Shokhuvi to Pherima is likely to be completed very soon and the complete project up to Zubza is targeted to be completed by 2026.

The new rail connectivity will also help in the transportation of food grains and other infrastructural items to the State at a much cheaper cost from other parts of the country benefitting local people. Besides, the economy of the state will also receive a boost.

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