Indian Railways is significantly contributing towards transformation of the North-eastern states by executing several new railway line projects. The Jiribam-Imphal new line railway project is one of the crucial connectivity projects for the North-eastern region that is at an advanced stage of completion.
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- The works for this new line railway project, among other connectivity projects, is also going on in full swing to connect Imphal, the capital city of Manipur to the rest of the country. The Jiribam – Imphal project has already achieved physical progress of 91.78%.
- Construction of the Jiribam – Imphal railway project involves multiple tunnels and bridges in tough terrains which are stretched at more than 110 km length. Out of 52 tunnels, works for the 48 have already been completed.
- The project will have a total 11 major bridges; substructure of 7 bridges and superstructure of 5 bridges have been completed. Out of 129 minor bridges, works for 110 have also been completed. The tallest pier railway bridge of the world with a height of 141 mts is also being constructed in this project and nearing completion. The route of the project will cover 11 railway stations; six of them are completed.
- The anticipated cost of the complete project is around Rs 14,322 crores. The section from Jiribam to Khongsang has already been commissioned and the entire project is targeted to be completed by December, 2023. After completion, the present road journey time of about 10 hrs to reach Imphal will get reduced to 2.5 hrs by railways.
- The project will provide enhanced connectivity to the people of Manipur, help grow small scale industries in the area and boost tourism of the state. It will also help in receiving essential commodities faster by the state and help the state local producers to export their produces outside the state faster.
Source: Northeast Frontier Railway- Press Release | Image Credit (representational): MoR
