NFR handling over 1,800 km of railway projects in Northeast

Maligaon, September 16 (MExN): Northeast Frontier Railway (Construction) General Manager Ashish Bansal on Wednesday highlighted the scale of ongoing railway infrastructure development in the Northeast, major project achievements and the increasing role of technology in ensuring safe, resilient and sustainable construction.

Addressing INFRABUILD Northeast 2026, a conference on construction for infrastructure held in Guwahati, Bansal said NFR Construction was currently handling more than 1,800 km of New Line and Doubling projects, including Capital Connectivity projects, with an overall project cost of over Rs 96,000 crore.

Around 596 km of these projects have already been completed, while a substantial programme of commissioning is planned over the next five years, he said.

Bansal said railway construction in the Northeast presented unique engineering challenges due to difficult terrain, heavy rainfall, geological uncertainties, landslides, environmental and land-related issues and limited accessibility.

These challenges necessitate specialised engineering solutions, advanced construction techniques and continuous emphasis on safety, quality and resilience, he said.

Highlighting major achievements, Bansal said the 51-km Bairabi-Sairang New Line had been completed, providing railway connectivity to Sairang, near Mizoram's capital, through challenging hill terrain involving extensive tunnelling and bridge construction.

The 111-km Araria-Galgalia New Line was fully commissioned on July 11, 2025.

On the Dimapur-Kohima New Line, the Dhansiri-Shokhuvi and Shokhuvi-Molvom sections have already been commissioned, while the 14-km Molvom-Pherima section is targeted for commissioning by March 2027.

The strategically important Jiribam-Imphal New Line, spanning approximately 111 km, has witnessed commissioning of more than 55 km in phases. The next 9.10-km Khongsang-Awangkhul section is targeted for commissioning in October 2026.

On the doubling front, the 11-km Katihar-Kuretha and 17-km Katihar-Sonaili sections were commissioned on June 19, 2026.

Bansal also highlighted the pipeline of upcoming railway projects, saying NFR Construction currently has 69 surveys at various stages of progress, including ongoing Final Location Surveys.

Emphasising technology-driven construction, Bansal highlighted the adoption of NATM-based tunnelling, geological mapping, instrumentation, mechanised construction, drones, GNSS, GIS, BIM and digital project monitoring.

He said future railway infrastructure in the Northeast needed to be designed to withstand extreme weather conditions while minimising environmental impact.

Bansal said the experience gained by NFR Construction in executing projects across difficult terrain had generated valuable institutional knowledge and innovative engineering practices.

The focus, he said, remained on creating railway infrastructure that is safe, durable, technologically advanced and environmentally sustainable, while ensuring delivery within committed time and cost parameters.

Such infrastructure would contribute significantly to enhanced connectivity and the overall development of the Northeast, he said.