Construction activities have started in portal 1 of tunnel no. 7 at Tsiepama village under Medziphema circle of Dimapur district on the Dimapur-Kohima new rail line project.

According to Northeast Frontier Railway’s (NFR) chief public relations officer (CPRO) Sabyasachi De, this tunnel measuring 6,610 metre would be the longest tunnel on the new rail line project.

A 12-km approach road was constructed through the hills to reach portal 1 of the tunnel located between Pherima and Piphema railway stations of this project.

The 82.50-km (2.75 km in Assam and 79.75 Km in Nagaland) Dimapur-Kohima new railway line project, which begins from Dhansiri station in Assam to Zubza adjacent to Kohima, is being constructed at an anticipated cost of Rs 6,663 crore.

The project has eight new stations — Dhansiri, Dhansiripar, Shokhuvi, Molvom, Pherima, Piphema, Mengujuma and Zubza — and includes 27 major bridges, 148 minor bridges, five road overbridges, 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.

The NFR CPRO claimed that the rail connectivity project upon completion would facilitate 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.