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| Second Saraighat Rail cum Road Bridge to Transform Multimodal Connectivity across Brahmaputra with Doubling of Agthori-Kamakhya Section to Strengthen Northeast | | |  MALIGAON, Sept 23: Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) is undertaking the Second Saraighat Rail-cum-Road Bridge Project including doubling of the railway track between Agthori and Kamakhya stations, which is set to become a major addition to Assam's transportation infrastructure. The project will strengthen rail and road connectivity across the Brahmaputra, augment transportation capacity for Guwahati and support the wider connectivity requirements of the Northeastern region. The existing Saraighat Bridge was completed in September 1962, with the first engine crossing the bridge on 23 September 1962. For more than six decades, it has served as a vital link between the northern and southern banks of the Brahmaputra and as an important gateway to the Northeast. With passenger and freight traffic in the region continuing to grow, augmentation of capacity across this critical corridor has assumed increasing importance.
The 7.20-km railway-doubling project between Agthori and Kamakhya stations was sanctioned by the Ministry of Railways in 2024. Detailed planning and tendering were subsequently taken up. Larsen & Toubro (L&T) one of India's leading engineering and construction companies with extensive experience in major infrastructure projects, has been entrusted with the execution of the project. Given the location of the new bridge in a highly developed urban environment, the project has involved considerable challenges relating to land acquisition, removal of encroachments and shifting of existing utilities. With the proactive support of the State Government and local administration a substantial part of these challenges has already been addressed. NFR continues to coordinate with the concerned State agencies to resolve the remaining interfaces and facilitate progressive availability of work fronts. Meanwhile, the project has advanced substantially on the engineering front with geotechnical investigation works completed and major engineering, design along with construction drawing activities.
A major component of the project is the 1.3-km-long Double-Decker Rail-cum-Road Bridge over the Brahmaputra. The lower deck will carry two railway lines, while the upper deck will accommodate a three-lane road carriageway along with a footpath. In comparison, the existing Saraighat Bridge carries a single railway line and a two-lane road. The main bridge will be constructed on well foundations with a welded Open Web Girder (OWG) superstructure having a span length of 125 metres. The main bridge will be connected through approach viaducts on either side, with approximately 600 metres on the Agthori side and 200 metres on the Kamakhya side. The viaducts will be supported on pile foundations with composite girder superstructures for both railway and road components, with four road spans on each side forming part of the integrated double-decker arrangement. The project will also interface with the road approaches being developed by NHAI, providing connectivity towards Jalukbari on one side and the Agthori-side road network on the other. |
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