The construction of a 9.8-kilometer tunnel on the 111 km-long Banihal-Katra railway link has been completed, according to officials. This tunnel is reportedly a component of the project for the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Line (USBRL). Following the 12.6 km long T-49B tunnel, the longest tunnel ever built by Indian Railways, which was finished in January of this year, comes this third tunnel.
The overarch deck of the world’s tallest rail bridge, which spans the Chenab River in the Kouri neighborhood in the Reasi district, was also finished with a golden joint on August 14. According to the personnel, the breakthrough was achieved by setting off a blast. Thus, it also signaled the beginning of construction on the T-13 escape tunnel.
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The construction of the Banihal-Katra railway link
In the Katra-Banihal section of the UdhampurSrinagarBaramulla Rail Link (USBRL), an official announced, “We have successfully finished the building work on the tunnel between Dugga and Sawlakote stations.” Furthermore, the officials claimed that USBRL is a national project whose deadline-bound completion is a top priority for Indian Railways.
The official stated, “We finished the 9.8 km long tunnel today which connects two railway stations located on each side. The completion of this tunnel, according to the officials, has connected the Dugga railway station at the Jammu end with the Basindadar (Sawalkote) railway station at the Srinagar end.
They added that the tunnel’s construction began in 2018. Additionally, it connected two of the seven rail stations in the Katra-Banihal segment of the railway project. The work on 161 km of the 272 km USBRL project was commissioned in stages. The first phase of the 118-km Qazigund-Baramulla section was commissioned in October 2009.
It was followed by the 18-km Banihal-Qazigund in June 2013 and the 25-km Udhampur-Katra in July 2014. There are 35 tunnels and 37 bridges in the 111 km Katra-Banihal stretch.
