Srinagar: The Railways has completed the major portion of work on the longest rail tunnel in the country in Ramban sector of Jammu region. The project manager of this tunnel said that major portion of the work on the rail tunnel which is 12.75 km long in the Udhampur-Baramulla-Srinagar Rail (UBSR) Link has been completed.
The engineers have named this tunnel as T49, and they are very keen to complete it as soon as possible so that Kashmir valley is linked by train to the rest of the country, the project manager said.
The project manager said that it was very difficult to complete so much of work on this tunnel as it surpasses the Peer Panjal Tunnel (11.2 km) in length and the work has been very challenging so far.
Constructing the railway route to this isolated region has involved significant engineering challenges. The 345-km route crosses major earthquake zones, and is subject to extreme temperatures of cold and heat, as well as inhospitable terrain.
In 2001, the Kashmir Railway received National Project Status from the Central government. The Railway Ministry itself does not have sufficient funds to tackle the project. Institutions like IIT Delhi, IIT Roorkee, Geographical Survey of India and DRDO are providing expertise in the project planning and its implementation.
This route will also see the construction of the world’s highest railway bridge and India’s first cable-stayed Railway Bridge.