Indian Railways longest tunnel in Kashmir: All you need to know about T-49
Categories: DAILY NEWS NEWS OF INDIA
India’s dream of fully integrating with the Valley is finally tangible with the Kashmir Railway Project ready to join the Indian Railways canvas by 2023. The project is the highest altitude railway network in India - defying gravity on the impossible terrain of the Pir Panjal mountain range.In Kashmir, the rail route owes its complexity to the dangerous rugged geography of the Himalayas. However, the engineering marvel of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) has stunned the nation with its extraordinary approach in building its main - T-49 tunnel in an impossible terrain. The USBRL project is set to be 272 km long, constructed on access roads connecting 147,000 people in 73 villages; out of which 161 km that connects 29 villages, has already been commissioned and is in operation. The course includes numerous bridges, viaducts, and tunnels.For constructing the bridges Weathering Steel is used to do away with the need for painting. Situated in Reasi district, the bridge over the Chenab River is the world's highest bridge, 30 meters higher than Eiffel Tower. The 111-km stretch between the lower Himalaya’s Katra-Banihal section is also under progress at a rapid pace. It has 37 bridges of which 20 are complete, and 35 tunnels of which 27 are the main ones, and 8 are escape tunnels.T-49 has two burrows for safety - the main tunnel and an escape tunnel. In line with international standards, the escape tunnel runs parallel to the main tunnel, connected by cross passages every 375 meters to allow for rescue and restoration work. The north gateway of the tunnel is located near Arpinchala village of Ramban district situated in Mahu-Mangat Valley at an altitude of 1,600 m. The south gateway of Tunnel T-49 is located in the quaint Sumber village, 45 km from the district headquarters Ramban in Jammu and Kashmir at an altitude of 1400 m.