The engineering marvel of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) with its extraordinary approach in building its main T-49 tunnel in an impossible terrain has become a showpiece for the world
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) with its extraordinary approach in building its main T-49 tunnel in an impossible terrain has become a showpiece for the world.
The last few years witnessed slow progress in the project due to the pandemic but with its expert team, tunnel T-49 has surpassed the 11.2-km long Pir Panjal Tunnel on the Banihal-Qazigund section of the Kashmir Railways Project. At a length of 12.758 km, T-49 is the longest tunnel of Indian Railways, running between Sumber and Arpinchala station of Katra-Banihal section of USBRL mega project.
The USBRL project is set to be 272 km long, constructed on access roads connecting 147,000 people in 73 villages; of which 161 km that connects 29 villages, has already been commissioned and is in operation. The course includes numerous bridges, viaducts, and tunnels.
The project is the highest altitude railway network in India – defying gravity on the impossible terrain of the Pir Panjal mountain range. The rail network will help tourism, trade and commerce, and the economy in general
The Himalayas are geologically unpredictable. 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 metres to allow for rescue and restoration work. It uses the new Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM), which is a novel approach to the “drill and blast” technique in the teetering Shivalik Hills. Its cross-section profile is designed to give it a horseshoe appearance and it has been built to accommodate a speed of 100 km per hour.
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 T49 is located in Sumber village, 45 km from the district headquarters Ramban in Jammu and Kashmir at an altitude of 1400 m.
The track’s alignment was the biggest engineering challenge ever faced; only next to Tibet’s Qingzang Railway, permafrost at 5,000 m above sea level. To add to the list of achievements, USBLR has credited itself with a 1,315 metrelong bridge, 359 m above the riverbed of the Chenab River; and another 657-metre-long bridge over Anji Khad, 186 m above the riverbed.
The Kashmir Railway Project will be 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. The rail network will help tourism, trade and commerce, and the economy in general.
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