In a significant development, construction activities started in Portal 1 of Tunnel number 7 of the Dimapur-Kohima new rail line project, located in Tsiepama village of Medziphema circle of Dimapur district in Nagaland.

This tunnel will be the longest in the Dimapur-Kohima new rail line project.

 Sabyasachi De, CPRO of Northeast Frontier Railway said that the length of this tunnel is 6,610 meters. A 12 km long approach road was constructed through the hills to reach Portal 1 of Tunnel no. – 7 in Tsiepama village.

 “The tunnel is located between the Pherima and Piphema stations of this project. The 82.50 Km long (2.75 Km in Assam and 79.75 Km in Nagaland) Dimapur – Kohima new railway line project which takes off from the Dhansiri station of Assam to Zubza adjacent to Kohima is being constructed at an anticipated cost of Rs 6,663 crore. The project has 8 new stations viz Dhansiri, Dhansiripar, Shokhuvi, Molvom, Pherima, Piphema, Menguzuma and Zubza. The project includes 27 major bridges, 148 minor bridges, 5 Road Over Bridges, 15 Road Under Bridges and 21 Tunnels of 31 km length. The 16.5 km section from Dhansiri to Shokhuvi was already commissioned in October 2021,” Sabyasachi De said.

 He further said that passenger train services from Shokhuvi to Naharlagun in Arunachal Pradesh and Mendipathar in Meghalaya have also been introduced.

 “The forthcoming rail connectivity project, upon its completion, will facilitate the transportation of essential commodities such as food grains, petroleum products, automobiles and various infrastructure and construction materials to Nagaland at a significantly reduced cost compared to the present scenario. This development will greatly benefit the local population, as it is anticipated to provide a substantial boost to the state’s economy and will provide a cheap and reliable means of communication to the local population,” the CPRO of Northeast Frontier Railway said.