GUWAHATI | Assam Chief Minister says underground or elevated railway infrastructure may be needed to cross the narrow Siliguri Corridor; final route and project details yet to be worked out. Guwahati, November 3: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said the proposed bullet train connectivity to Guwahati may require specialised engineering solutions to cross the strategically important Siliguri Corridor, popularly known as the Chicken’s Neck.

Welcoming the approval of Guwahati’s inclusion in the high-speed rail network, Sarma said the development was significant for the Northeast, but several technical and logistical details remained unresolved.“The first good news is that now Guwahati has been put on the map.

But the details have to be worked out,” the Chief Minister said. Underground or elevated route under consideration Sarma pointed out that the Siliguri Corridor, which connects the Northeast with the rest of the country, is around 22 km wide at its narrowest point, with some stretches measuring only 16 km.

With an existing national highway and railway line already passing through the corridor, constructing a separate track for bullet trains could pose a major engineering challenge. “The bullet train cannot run on the present railway lines. It has to be a completely separate railway line,” he said.The Chief Minister said the government would need to determine whether the proposed railway line would pass through the Chicken’s Neck underground or above ground, given the limited availability of land in the strategically sensitive corridor.

He added that an underground or elevated alignment could significantly increase the project’s cost compared with a conventional ground-level railway line.Sarma to seek clarity from Railway Minister Sarma said he would meet Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw during his next visit to Delhi to seek clarity on the technical aspects of the project.

According to the Chief Minister, the proposal to extend the bullet train corridor beyond Siliguri to Guwahati had initially faced concerns over its feasibility. However, following discussions with Vaishnaw and a request to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the proposal to include Guwahati received approval.“Initially, they said it may not be possible.

But after I met Ashwini Vaishnaw and requested the Prime Minister, they have now agreed that it will come to Guwahati,” he said. Sarma described the decision as a significant step for Assam and credited the Prime Minister and the Railway Minister for approving the extension.

He said the project would require detailed planning and substantial investment, particularly if specialised construction techniques were needed to cross the Siliguri Corridor. The Chief Minister did not provide a construction timeline or details of the final alignment, saying these would become clearer after further discussions with the Railway Ministry