NEW DELHI, July 31 (Xinhua) -- India has launched the construction of its longest railway tunnel on a 111-km-long track in the northeastern state of Manipur.
Indian Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Saturday laid the foundation stone for tunnel number 12 on the Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal train track, which comprises 37 tunnels in total.
"Connectivity is the prime driver of development and the Railway Ministry would not spare any resources for bringing in speedy development of rail connectivity in the region," he said.
"The railway line will not only connect Imphal to the rest of the country, but also open up new vistas for economic development of the region."
The 111-km-long Jiribam-Tupul-Imphalrailway project was envisaged in 2008 and was subsequently declared as a national project.
Apart from the longest tunnel in Indian Railway, the stretch also has the tallest bridge in the world that is being constructed over Iring river with a pier height of 141 metres.
