India's longest tunnel provides the key link.
A 115 year-old dream became reality on Wednesday when the first train connecting Banihal in Jammu and Qazigund in Kashmir chugged through India’s longest tunnel in the mighty Pir Panjal ranges.
Prime minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi flagged off the eight-coach train carrying school children and officials of IRCON from here, marking the beginning of the first rail connecting Kashmir with the rest of India.
Both leaders also boarded the train and crossed India’s longest tunnel before returning to Banihal.
The train reached Qazigund in 25 minutes. The Banihal-Qazigund section reduces the 35 km distance to 18 km.
The Banihal-Qazigund section has been constructed at a cost of Rs 1691 crore. The highlight of the section is India’s longest tunnel (11.2 kms) which has been drilled through the treacherous mountain terrain.
“Maharaja Pratap Singh had dreamed of this project in 1898. A project was sanctioned in 1905 but it could not be implemented so far. After Independence, Jammu got connected with the rest of India through rail. Indira Gandhi started work on the difficult Chenab section (which includes Kashmir) in 1983. Today, I am happy to announce that this project is successfully heading towards completion,” Singh said, after dedicating the Banihal-Qazigund line to the nation.
The 11.2 km tunnel has been constructed using the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM). It is for the first time in the country that NATM has been used on such a large scale. Under NATM the geological stress from the surrounding rock is used to stabilize the tunnel hole.
The Pir Panjal tunnel passes approximately 440 metre below the existing Jawahar Road Tunnel and its alignment crosses the Srinagar-Jammu national highway at three locations.
“This is not just an engineering marvel, but an all weather link between the Valley and the rest of Jammu and Kashmir... This will usher in a new era in the development of the state,” the prime minister said.
“As the work progresses, we will be connecting this line with other networks of the country. Work on the Katra-Udhampur section will be completed in a few months. Work on the Udhampur-Banihal line will only then remain (to be completed). It is a challenging task. It consists of a 359 meter-high bridge, which is the world’s highest railway bridge,” he added.
Inter district trains are already plying within the Valley on the 118-km-long route between Qazigund and Baramulla in north Kashmir. But Banihal-Qazigund section will connect the Valley with the Jammu division.
Opening of this section promises a new beginning for the state as it will significantly ease the transportation problem faced by the people during winters when inclement weather forces closure of the Jawahar Tunnel.
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