Guwahati bullet train may use underground or elevated tracks
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the project will require substantial investment to cross the narrow Chicken Neck corridor.
The proposed bullet train connecting New Delhi and Guwahati may cross the Chicken Neck corridor via an underground or elevated track, according to The Federal.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Tuesday that the project will require a different engineering approach because the narrow stretch connecting the Northeast to the rest of the country is around 22 km wide, narrowing to 16 km in some patches.
Sarma stated that the bullet train cannot run on existing tracks and will require a dedicated railway line. He noted that the investment for the project could be double or triple the normal amount due to the limited land availability and challenging terrain.
The Chief Minister said that while the Centre had initially indicated that extending the network to Guwahati might not be feasible, the Prime Minister and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw have now agreed to the plan.
Sarma said he would discuss the detailed alignment and technology with Ashwini Vaishnaw during his next visit to Delhi. He mentioned that steps such as a survey must be completed after the line's approval.
The North Corridor of the bullet train project, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved, will connect Delhi, Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Patna, and Siliguri before extending to Guwahati.