The work for the construction of the longest railway tunnel in India has commenced. The 111-km-long line comprises 37 tunnels and the tunnel no 12 will be the longest in the Indian Railway at 11.55 km. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Saturday announced the commencement of works of the longest tunnel in the Indian Railway - on the Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal new broad gauge railway line in Manipur.

"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. Indian Railways have taken a holistic approach towards development and the 111-km-long new broad gauge railway line from Jiribam to Imphal. This will not only connect Imphal to the rest of the country but also open up new vistas for economic development of the region," said Mr Prabhu in his address on the occasion.

Announcing the commencement of the works for the Tunel No. 12, Mr Prabhu said the tunnel would not only connect two parts of Manipur by rail but it would also be a symbolic representation of the state getting connected to the Indian mainland. "We are proud of our cultural heritage and therefore the proposed Imphal station had been designed incorporating the architectural elements of Kangla Fort Gate and Shri Govindji Temple -two historical monuments of Manipur," he said