T-50 Tunnel: The country’s longest railway tunnel has been finished, and train operations have begun in it. On February 20th, the Prime Minister of the country, Shri Narendra Modi (PM Modi), gave the go-ahead to the first electric train in Kashmir Valley. Following this, construction of the country’s longest transportation tunnel began on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail route in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to railway officials, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off two electric trains in Jammu at the same time. PM Modi also launched the 48.1-kilometer Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan stretch. Today we will tell you about the country’s longest railway tunnel (T-50 Tunnel).
What are the tunnel’s characteristics?
- According to railway officials, ‘This is the longest railway tunnel built in the country, measuring 12.77 kilometers. Its name is T-50 Tunnel. This railway tunnel is situated in the middle of the Khari-Sumber segment. According to Northern Railway, following the building of this railway tunnel (T-50 Tunnel), trains can now operate from Baramulla to Sangaldan via Banihal, which was sometimes the first, final, or starting station.
- Let us inform you that the T-50 tunnel was the most difficult of the 11 tunnels completed along the Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldal route. Railway officials involved with this project stated that the survey for this tunnel began in 1996, but the tender was awarded in December 2013. Because of this, it took ten years to get started.
- According to a report by railway officials, “Even in case of emergency in T-50 tunnel, all safe measures have been taken inside the tunnel.” If such a situation arises, an escape tunnel parallel to the T-50 Tunnel has been built to evacuate the passengers.
- ‘A connecting road has been erected every 375 metres between the escape tunnel and the T-50, so that passengers can be conveyed to the escape tunnel and then transported out via vehicles.’
