JAMMU, Nov 25: Indian Railway has completed nearly 60 percent work on India’s longest rail tunnel which is 12.75 km long on the Udhampur-Baramulla-Srinagar Rail (UBSR) Link in Jammu and Kashmir.
Named T49, the tunnel connects the Sumber and Arpinchala Stations in the Ramban district of J&K.
It surpasses the Peer Panjal Tunnel (11.2km) in length.
Afcons Infrastructure Ltd has constructed 7.32km of the total tunnel which is nearly sixty per cent of the entire tunnel length. Besides the main tunnel, Afcons has also constructed two adits, twenty cross passages, two bridges, and a station yard among others.
The tunnel passes through the mighty Peer Panjal ranges in the Lower Himalayas, in J&K.
Afcons spokesperson said, “We have constructed 7.32km of the tunnel from the north portal (Arpinchala Village) which is at an altitude of 1,600M.”
Chandra Shekhar Dixit, Afcons’ Project Manager said, “One of the major challenges was the pouring of overt gantry concrete from an upward gradient to a downward gradient. The pouring rate of overt gantry concrete should not be more than 5.8 cum/hr. If the pouring rate is increased then there are chances of bulging of the gantry which will lead to misalignment. To avoid this, the team effectively and meticulously ensured accurate pouring rate, and the gantry mechanism was minutely surveyed.”
There were other geological challenges like cavity formation due to the presence of a shear zone in the escape tunnel. The construction activities were also impacted by huge water ingress.
The spokesperson said, “Despite numerous challenges the breakthrough of the tunnel was achieved in February this year.”
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