Important Tunnels by Dr. Gaurav Garg
Atal Tunnel, Himachal Pradesh
● Atal Tunnel (also known as Rohtang Tunnel ) is a highway
tunnel built under the Rohtang Pass in the eastern Pir Panjal
range of the Himalayas on the Leh-Manali Highway in
Himachal Pradesh , I ndia.
● The 9.02 km-long-tunnel , built by the Border Roads
Organisation (BRO), is the world’s longest highway tunnel
above 3000m and connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley .
● The tunnel reduces the distance by 46 km between Manali
and Leh and the travel time by about 4 to 5 hours.
● It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 3
October 2020. The cost of the entire project is ₹3,200 crore
● It is the longest highway tunnel of India.
● It is the longest tunnel in the World among tunnels of height
above 3000 metres.
✓ National Highways Authority of India ( NHAI ) is an autonomous agency of the Government of India, It is
responsible for management of National Highways.
✓ Border Roads Organisation ( BRO ) develops and maintains road networks in India's border areas and friendly
neighboring countries.
Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel, Jammu and Kashmir
● The Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel is an 11.215-kilometre-lon g
railway tunnel located in Pir Panjal Range of middle
Himalayas in Jammu and Kashmir, India, north of Banihal
town.
● It is a part of the Jammu–Baramulla line.
● It takes approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds for the
train to cross the tunnel.
✓ Longest Tunnel - Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel - 11.2 Km
✓ Longest Road Tunnel - Chenani-Nashri Tunnel - 9.28 Km
✓ Longest Highway Tunnel - Atal Tunnel - 9.02 Km
Jawahar Tunnel, J&K
● Jawahar Tunnel also called Banihal Tunnel or Banihal Pass
is a road tunnel in Indian union territory of Jammu and
Kashmir.
● Named after the first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal
Nehru, it was constructed for round-the-year surface
transport between 1954 and 1956.
● The Jawahar tunnel has been operational since 22
December 1956.
● The length of tunnel is 2.85 km (1.77 mi) . It has one lane
road in either direction.
● It is situated between Banihāl and Qazigund on NH 1A that
has been renumbered NH 44.The tunnel facilitates
round-the-year road connectivity between Srinagar and Jammu.
Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Tunnel, J&K
● Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Tunnel , also known as Syama
Tunnel , and formerly as Chenani-Nashri Tunnel , is a road
tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir, India.
● It is located in the Lower Himalayas, on National Highway
44.
● Construction started in 2011 and was completed by 2017.
● It is India's longest road tunnel with a length of 9.28 km
and the country's first tunnel with a fully integrated tunnel
control system.
● It reduces the distance between Jammu and Srinagar by 30
km and travel time by two hours.
● The tunnel was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on 2 April 2017.
Z-Morh Tunnel, Jammu & Kashmir
● Z-Morh Tunnel is a road tunnel project and is the first step
toward ensuring all-weather connectivity between Srinagar
and Kargil in the Union Territory of Ladakh in India.
● The tunnel gets its name from the Z shape of the road that it
will replace between Sonamarg and Gagangir .
● The 6.5 km long road tunnel is being constructed near
Gagangir or Gagangair in Ganderbal district of the Indian
Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
● It has a high strategic importance for India. The tunnel
would avoid the regions of snowfall and avalanches.
● Along with Zoji La tunnel ( which is 22 km from Z-Morh
tunnel towards Leh), the Z-Morh tunnel will ensure
year-long road connectivity between Srinagar and Kargil
which currently remains closed for about seven months due
to snow.
● July 2020: Work restarted on July 15, 2020. As per
associated official, tunnel to be ready by end of June-2021.
Zoji-la Tunnel, Ladakh
● Zoji La Tunnel is a 14.2 km long road tunnel under Zoji La
pass in the Himalayas between Sonmarg and Drass town
in Kargil district of the Indian Union Territory of Ladakh,
currently under construction.
● Zoji La is 15 km from Sonamarg and provides a vital link
with Drass and Kargil in Ladakh but remains closed for 6-7
months (from November to May) during winter due to
heavy snow fall & snow avalanches.
● Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May 2018, had laid the foundation stone for the ₹ 6,800 crore project, billed as
Asia’s longest bi-directional tunnel, in Jammu and Kashmir.
Sangaldan Railway Tunnel, Jammu and Kashmir
● The Sangaldan Railway Tunnel is a 7.1 km railway tunnel
between K atra-Banihal section of Jammu–Baramulla line
located to the north of Sangaldan town of middle Himalayas
in Jammu and Kashmir, India near Ramban district.
● The tunnel was completed on 4 December 2010.
Andhra Pradesh gets India's longest electrified rail tunnel
● Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated India's
longest electrified rail tunnel constructed by South Central
Railway Railway zone in Andhra Pradesh.
● Situated between Cherlopalli and Rapuru stations of Andhra
Pradesh, the 6.6-km long tunnel is a part of the
Obulavaripalli-Venkatachalam railway line.
● The tunnel is built in the shape of a ' horse shoe ' using the
New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM). The newly
constructed tunnel will provide seamless rail connectivity
between Krishnapatnam Port and the hinterland areas for
freight movement.
Country’s 2nd longest rail tunnel in Kerala
● A 10.7-km railway line, including a 9.02-km tunnel , has
been proposed to connect the upcoming Vizhinjam
International Multipurpose Deepwater Seaport to the railway
network.
● It is mooted by Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd (KRCL )
from near the Balaramapuram station on the
Kanyakumari-Thiruvananthapuram railway line.
● The proposed railway line from Balaramapuram to
Vizhinjam will be a single line and will be sufficient for the
movement of 9 to 10 rakes daily through the corridor for the
next 20 years.
● The cost of providing the rail connectivity, including land
acquisition, has been put at ₹1,069 crore.
● The plan is to establish the railway link by May 2022.
Sela Tunnel, Arunachal Pradesh
● Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of
the Sela Tunnel Project in Arunachal Pradesh in 2019.
● It is estimated to cost Rs. 687 crore.
● It is being constructed by the Border Roads Organisation
(BRO) and is expected to be completed in the next three
years (2021).
● It covers a total distance of 12.04 kilometers and consists of
two tunnels of 1790 and 475 meters each.
● The tunnel is being excavated below the 4,200 metres
(13,800 ft) Sela Pass in India on NH 13 component of
Trans-Arunachal Highway system.
● It will reduce the distance between Dirang and Tawang by
10 km .
Chamba Tunnel
● Union Minister for Road Transport Nitin Gadkari
inaugurated the 440 metre-long Chamba tunnel in May
2020 , constructed under Chardham Pariyojana ( Gangotri,
Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Badrinath).
● Border Roads Organisation (BRO) achieved this major
milestone by digging up a 440 m long Tunnel below the
busy Chamba town on Rishikesh-Dharasu road Highway
(NH 94) .
Nechiphu Tunnel, Arunachal Pradesh
● Union defence minister Rajnath Singh on October 2020 laid the foundation stone of the Nechiphu Tunnel o n the
Balipara-Chariduar-Tawang (BCT) road in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh .
● The 450m-long tunnel, which will bypass the existing road, will be D-shaped and comprise two lanes of 3.5m width
each.
World's first electrified double-stack container tunnel in Haryana
● The Indian Railways is constructing the world's first electrified double-stack container tunnel near Haryana's Sohna.
● A double-stack container goods train will be able to run at a
speed of more than 100 km from within this tunnel.
● The tunnel is D-shaped and is the biggest tunnel in India
(cross-sectional area).
● The World's first electrified double-stack container tunnel is
1 km long and is situated at the Western Dedicated Freight
Corridor near Sohna, Haryana.
● The tunnel connects two districts of Haryana-- Mewat and
Gurgaon.
● It has a steep gradient on the uphill and downhill slope of
the Aravalli range.
Karbude Railway Tunnel, Maharashtra
● Situated in the midst of the Western Ghats in Ratnagiri , Maharashtra, the Karbude
Railway Tunnel was constructed when the revered Konkan Railways decided to link
the coastal cities of Mumbai and Mangalore.
● It holds the position of the l ongest railway tunnel in the Konkan railway line that is
located between the stations of Ukshi and Bhoke. Konkan Railway HQ is in Navi
Mumbai.
● Length: 6.5 km
Nathuwadi Tunnel, Maharashtra
● This 4.3 km long tunnel is located between Karanjadi and Diwan Khavati stations.
● This too comes under the Konkan railway.
Tike Tunnel, Maharashtra
● Tike tunnel is 4.07 km long and is located between Ratnagiri and Nivasar.
Berdewadi Tunnel, Maharashtra
● Berdewadi tunnel, located between Adavali and Vilawade in Maharashtra is 4 km long. This is a part of the Konkan
railway route.
Parchuri Tunnel , Maharashtra, Konkan Railway
Length - 2,552 metres
Khowai Tunnel , Tripura, Northeast Frontier Railway
Length - 2,500 metres
Sangar Tunnel , Jammu & Kashmir Railway, Northern Railway
Length - 2,454 metres
Monkey Hill Tunnel , Maharashtra , Central Railway
Length - 2,304 metres
Chiplun Tunnel - Maharashtra, Konkan Railway
Length - 2,100 metres
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