Indian Railways Builds World's First Electrified Tunnel Capable Of Running Double-Stack Container Trains

The Indian Railways is in the process of building the world's first electrified tunnel which is capable of running double stacked container trains, Livemint has reported.

The tunnel when complete will be around 1 kilometre long and is situated near Rewari and Dadri in Haryana. The tunnel will also navigate a steep gradient on both the uphill and downhill slope of the Aravalli range.

The tunnel will be constructed with a cross-sectional area of 150 square metres to leave enough space for the movement of double stack containers. It is one of the biggest tunnels in the country if one considers the cross-sectional area.

This tunnel will be part of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) and is expected to be completed in the next 12 months.

"This will be the world's first electrified rail tunnel fit to run double-stack containers. The last blasting of the tunnel, which is situated on the Rewari-Dadri section, was done today (24 July). This work has been completed in less than a year's time", said a statement by the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL).

The tunnel will house two broad gauge lines and is 10-12.5 metres high to leave enough space for the movement of Double Decker container trains which will be able to run at a speed of 100 kmph.