Srinagar :Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the longest railway tunnel in the country as part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project. This significant event took place during the flagging off ceremony of the first electrified trains in the Kashmir valley. While physically present in Jammu, Prime Minister Modi virtually launched two electrified trains: one from Srinagar to Sangaldan and the other from Sangaldan to Srinagar.
History is set to be created with the inaugural run of DEMU train from Sangaldan to Baramulla from the decked-up Sangaldan station in Jammu and Kashmir.#RailInfra4JammuandKashmir pic.twitter.com/jB2GIVXrbl
— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) February 20, 2024
The newly inaugurated 48.1-km-long Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan section includes the 12.77-km-long tunnel known as T-50, situated between the Khari-Sumber stretch. This tunnel, considered the most challenging among the 11 in the Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan section, has been under construction since around 2010 and has finally become operational after nearly 14 years of work.
Safety measures within T-50 are paramount, with an escape tunnel running parallel to it for emergency evacuations. Passages connecting the escape tunnel to T-50 every 375 meters ensure swift evacuation of passengers to safety in case of any untoward incidents. Additionally, water pipes along both sides of the tunnel, equipped with valves every 375 meters, are installed to effectively tackle fire incidents by spraying water on the train from both directions.
The completion of the Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan section marks a significant milestone in the USBRL project, bringing the Northern Railway closer to its vision of connecting the Kashmir valley in the north to Kanyakumari in the south through a seamless railway network.
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