Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said the 7.20-km Agthori-Kamakhya doubling project was sanctioned by the Ministry of Railways in 2024. Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has been entrusted with construction, while geotechnical investigations have been completed and major engineering designs and construction drawings are under preparation.
The project includes a 1.3-km double-decker bridge across the Brahmaputra. Its lower deck will carry two railway lines, while the upper deck will contain a three-lane road and a footpath. The structure will be built on well foundations and use a welded Open Web Girder superstructure, with 125-metre spans on the main bridge.
Approach viaducts measuring about 600 metres on the Agthori side and 200 metres on the Kamakhya side will connect the bridge with adjoining rail and road networks. The structure will also link with road approaches being developed by the National Highways Authority of India towards Jalukbari and the Agthori-side road network.
NFR said land acquisition, encroachment removal and utility shifting had created difficulties in the densely developed urban area, but substantial progress had been made with support from the Assam government and local administration. L&T has begun mobilisation and preparatory activities following the end of the monsoon season. Digital engineering, monitoring and bridge instrumentation systems will be used to track structural performance, while construction methods will address foundation and structural challenges in the Brahmaputra. The project is scheduled to advance during the current financial year across foundations, viaducts, earthwork and related components, with the additional railway line and road intended to improve passenger and freight movement.