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

This was stated by the Northeast Frontier Railway on Tuesday (March 28) in a statement.

“Constructing new railway lines to connect all the state capitals of Northeast region is going on under capital connectivity projects,” the Northeast Frontier Railway statement said.

The Northeast Frontier Railway stated that “constructing new broad gauge railway line from Dimapur to Kohima in Nagaland is one such of them”.

“Works on the project is going on in full swing,” the NF Railway statement stated.

It added: “The new railway line would bring Nagaland capital city Kohima onto the broad gauge railway map of the country.”

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The 82.50-km-long Dimapur-Kohima new railway line project in Nagaland, which takes off from the Dhansiri station of Assam to Zubza adjacent to Kohima is being undertaken by Northeast Frontier Railway Construction Organization.

The project is being carried out at an anticipated cost of Rs 6663 crore.

The total length of project is 82.5 km (2.75 Km in Assam and 79.75 Km in Nagaland) having eight new stations: 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 length.

Tunnel no 7 between Pherima to Piphema is the longest tunnel of this project which is of 6520 metre length.

The project is divided into three phases for ease of commissioning.

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The first phase of 16.5 km from Dhansiri to Shokhuvi was 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 transportation of food grains and other infrastructural items to Nagaland at a much cheaper cost from other parts of the country benefitting local people.

Economy of Nagaland will receive a boost.