Umaisar Gull Ganie
Srinagar, Feb 20: Marking a significant milestone in Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link Project (USBRL), Northern Railways has opened the T-50 tunnel, named India’s longest, by running an electric train through it, officials said on Tuesday.
An official said that the 12.7-km railway tunnel, India’s longest for transportation, located between Sumbar and Khari railway stations, was opened as Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the first electrified trains of the Kashmir valley and the newly constructed 48.1-km-long Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan railway section on Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link Project (USBRL) project.
“USBRL involves the 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 entails 38 tunnels with a combined length of 119 km and 927 bridges with a combined length of 13 km,” the official said.
The official stated that the electrification of the Baramulla-Srinagar-Banihal-Sangaldan section of the USBRL project, spanning 185.66 kilometres, has been completed at the cost of Rs 470 crore, covering 19 stations.
“The electric train comprises eight coaches, each equipped with a wide range of amenities, including automatic doors, CCTV cameras, air-conditioning units, charging points, and station screens,” he said, adding that the 48 km Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan section, was constructed at a cost of Rs 15,863 crore.
Rajesh Khare, Senior PRO of Northern Railway, said, “Most of the 48 km section consists of tunnels, about 90% of it. The longest tunnel is 12.77 km. We have electrified the section, so trains will now run on electric power.”
