Northern Railways Achieves Breakthrough Of Escape Tunnel In Kashmir Rail Link Project

In a significant progress, the Railways has achieved a milestone of breaking through the escape tunnel in the Kashmir rail link project.

The Railways succeeded in completing the construction work on the nearly 10 km long escape tunnel between Sumber and Sangaldan station in the Katra-Banihal section of the Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), a national project in Jammu and Kashmir, on 26 July 26 2022.

We have achieved a major milestone in the USBRL project by executing the break-through of the escape tunnel T-48 between Sumber and Sangaldan station, said Northern Railway General Manager Ashutosh Gangal.

It is worthwhile to mention that the line and level of the escape tunnel is precisely achieved in break-through. T-48 is an escape tunnel of length 9.694 Km long and 5.30 metres wide in modified horseshoe shape.

With a view to provide an alternative and a reliable transportation system to Jammu and Kashmir, the government had undertaken a 272 km long rail line from Udhampur to Baramulla joining the Kashmir valley with the Railways network under Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link Project.

This project has been the most challenging work undertaken post-independence by Indian Railways. In view of the importance of the USBRL project in providing seamless and hassle-free connectivity, the project was declared as a "National Project" in 2002.

The alignment of USBRL involves construction of a large number of tunnels and bridges in highly rugged and mountainous terrain with the most difficult and complex Himalayan geology.

The project involves 38 tunnels (combined length of 119 Km), the longest tunnel (T-49) is having a length of 12.75 Km and once completed will be the country's longest transportation tunnel.

There are 927 bridges (combined length of 13 Km). These bridges include the iconic 1,315 metre long Chenab Bridge with height of 359 metre above river bed, which will be the highest railway bridge in the world.

The work on Qazigund-Baramulla section (118 Km), part of the project, has been completed and the section has been opened to the public.

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