- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 25, 2018 inaugurated India’s longest rail-cum-road bridge over the Brahmaputra at Bogibeel in Assam. Mr Modi also travelled from Dibrugarh to Dhemaji through the new bridge
- He also flagged off the first passenger train Tinsukia-Naharlagun Intercity Express over the bridge in Kareng Chapori. It will run five days a week and use the bridge to cut down the train-travel time between Tinsukia in Assam to Naharlagun town of Arunachal Pradesh by more than 10 hours.
- India’s longest rail-cum-road bridge across the Brahmaputra is 4.94-km-long structure.
- It will help the Indian armed forces move men and material to Arunachal Pradesh in a faster manner.
- This bridge will also benefit the Indian Railways, as it will help reduce the distance between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh by 600 km.
- The design of the ₹4,857 crore bridge is such that, unlike a normal steel bridge, it did not require the use of a single nut or bolt. Bolts and rivets that are normally used in a steel bridge require periodic replacement due to shear failure over traffic loads.
- In the Bogibeel bridge, construction of trusses using welding has made the connection between components a permanent one, eliminating the above failures.
- The structure is India’s first fully-welded bridge, which will protect it from harsh weather.
