Brahmaputra Tunnel Tender, Assam: Twin Tube Road cum Rail (Rs 11,982 Cr)

NHIDCL is inviting bids for a 4-lane twin tube road cum rail tunnel under the Brahmaputra in Assam, an estimated ₹11,982.36 Cr package that closes on 30 September 2026.

The work sits in Golaghat district and is being procured on EPC mode. One of the two tubes carries railway infrastructure alongside the road, so the winning contractor takes on a river crossing, the 4-lane approaches on both banks, and rail provisioning inside the tunnel. At an estimated ₹11,982.36 Cr this is the single largest tender on our board, and the biggest the Brahmaputra corridor has seen.

What the package actually asks for

NHIDCL lists the scope as construction of the uni-directional twin tube underwater tunnel under the river, the 4-lane approaches, and provision of railway infrastructure in one of the tubes. The current round is an empanelment and expression-of-interest stage, so the documents released are the RFQ and Annexure-A rather than a priced BOQ. Bid validity is 120 days, there is a single cover, and withdrawal is allowed. A corrigendum with an updated NIT was issued on 3 September 2026, so download the latest document set before you build a submission.

Who realistically bids for this

At this value, only large EPC houses with tunnelling credentials will clear qualification on their own. For everyone else the money is in the sub-package layer that follows award: approach road earthwork on both banks, muck haulage and disposal, batching and concrete supply, precast segment yards, dewatering, and site roads. If you own machines or run a mid-size civil crew in upper Assam, the practical move is to register interest with the firms that qualify at this stage rather than to bid the main package.

Machines a river tunnel of this size pulls in

Underwater twin tube work of this length runs on tunnel boring or roadheader spreads, mucking loaders, shotcrete units and segment erectors. The approaches and both bank portals are ordinary heavy civil: excavators for cut and portal formation, dozers and motor graders for formation and subgrade, compactors on the embankment layers, tippers on a continuous muck cycle, and cranes for segment and girder handling. Expect a long mobilisation, monsoon shutdown windows on the river, and heavy demand for hired tippers and excavators through the earthwork phase.

Key facts

How to apply

1. Open the official portal: Central Public Procurement Portal.
2. Search by tender ID 2026_NHIDC_924253_1 (reference no. NHIDCL/Assam/Record of Discussion/2025) under National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation.
3. Register on the portal and keep a valid Class III digital signature certificate ready in the name of an authorised signatory.
4. Download the updated NIT, the RFQ and Annexure-A, then check the qualification criteria, the ₹6,00,00,000 EMD and the ₹5,00,000 tender fee against what your firm can furnish.
5. Submit online before 30 September 2026 and keep the payment receipts with your bid record.

More on DesiMachines

Assam has two other live road packages worth a look: the NH-15 four-laning between Baihata Chariali and Tezpur and the BRO Melling Damteng road work in Sonitpur. If tunnelling is your line of work, the Indore Metro twin tunnel package is open on a similar spread of equipment. You can also browse more live tenders in Assam or all live tenders. On the machine side, compare excavators, wheel loaders and equipment finance options before you commit to a spread this size.

FAQ

Tender details are summarised for convenience and may change. Always verify the latest dates, terms and documents on the official tendering portal before bidding. DesiMachines is not responsible for changes made by the issuing authority.