Delhi-Guwahati bullet train may run underground to cross Chicken's Neck
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the high-speed rail project might require elevated or underground tracks due to terrain.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Tuesday that the proposed Delhi-Guwahati bullet train may need to run on elevated tracks or underground to cross the Chicken's Neck corridor. According to a report by Business Today, the Siliguri Corridor is a narrow strip of land, measuring 22 km wide and narrowing to 16 km in some parts, which connects the Northeast to the rest of India.
Sarma stated that the project might require two to three times more investment than standard projects because of limited land and difficult terrain. He noted that the bullet train cannot use existing railway tracks and will require a dedicated high-speed corridor.
The Chief Minister said that while the line has been approved, further steps such as surveys and establishing a parallel line are necessary. He mentioned that the Centre had previously suggested extending the network beyond Siliguri to Guwahati might not be feasible, but following meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, they have agreed to the extension.
Sarma said he intends to meet Ashwini Vaishnaw during his next visit to Delhi to discuss technical details and engineering requirements. The proposed North Corridor of the bullet train network, which Prime Minister Modi approved on Saturday, is planned to connect Delhi, Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Patna, and Siliguri before reaching Guwahati.