Dima Hasao’s new rail tunnels promise all-weather links to the Barak Valley

The mountain railway through Dima Hasao — a vital but fragile artery to Assam’s Barak Valley — is getting a permanent fix: a series of tunnels and elevated viaducts designed to shrug off the landslides that shut it for months every monsoon.

Work crews are boring through the same hills that have swallowed the line before, a reminder that engineering must earn the respect of the terrain.

When complete, the route will cut transit time for passengers and freight, and end the region’s dependence on a single thread of track.