IMPHAL, November 26: The 111 km long under construction railway line along Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal has 46 tunnels together running a total length of 54.5 kms.
The longest tunnel will measure 10.75 km and lies on the Tupul-Imphal stretch of the line, according to an information brochure available in the Northeast Frontier Railway booth opened at the Manipur Sangai Festival 2014.
According to the brochure, the railway line will have altogether nine stations of which the stations at Khongsang, Noney and Imphal are said to be important stations. The others will be at Dholakhal, Kaimai Road, Haipo Jadonang (Kambiron), Thingou, Tupul and Haochang Road and the total cost of the project is said to be Rs 5996 crores.
At the same time, the proposed railway bridge no 164 near Noney with a pillar height of up to 141 meters will become the tallest Girder Rail Bridge in the world.
According to the brochure, the existing rail bridge of Mala-Rijeka viaduct along the Belgrade-Bar railway line in Europe is recorded as the tallest with pillar with a height of 139 metres at the moment. The length of the proposed bridge no 164 is projected to be 703 meters and is targeted for a March 31, 2016 completion.
The foundation stone of the under-construction railway line was laid by the then Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh in November 2004 with the view to provide better connectivity to the hilly State of Manipur and to bring accelerated economic development and inclusive growth in the State.
Approximately 5000 skilled manpower are employed at work site in 60 locations and 66 percent (physical) of Jiribam-Tupul is said to be completed as of September 30, 2014.