The treacherous, mountainous topography of the Himalayas contributes to the train route's difficulty in Kashmir. The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL), on the other hand, has astounded the country with its unique strategy to building its major - T-49 tunnel in an impossible terrain. Due to the epidemic, development on the project has been slow in recent years, but with the help of its professional team, tunnel T-49 has now exceeded the 11.2-kilometer long Pir Panjal Tunnel on the Banihal-Qazigund portion of the Kashmir Railways Project. T-49 is India's longest railway tunnel, stretching 12.758 kilometres between Sumber and Arpinchala stations on the Katra-Banihal portion of the USBRL major project.
The USBRL project is expected to be 272 kilometres long, with access roads linking 147,000 people in 73 communities; 161 kilometres of which have already been commissioned and are in use. There are various bridges, viaducts, and tunnels throughout the course. For safety, T-49 features two tunnels: the main tunnel and an escape tunnel. The escape tunnel runs parallel to the main tunnel, with cross tunnels every 375 metres to enable for rescue and repair operations, as required by international standards.
In the precarious Shivalik Hills, it employs the new Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM), which is a revolutionary approach to the "drill and blast" technology. Its cross-section profile is meant to resemble a horseshoe and is designed to withstand a top speed of 100 kilometres per hour. The tunnel's north entrance lies near Arpinchala hamlet in Ramban district, which is located in the Mahu-Mangat Valley at an elevation of 1,600 metres. At a height of 1400 metres, the south doorway of Tunnel T-49 is located in the charming Sumber hamlet, 45 kilometres from the district capital Ramban in Jammu and Kashmir. The track's alignment was the most difficult engineering problem ever encountered; permafrost at 5,000 metres above sea level, right close to Tibet's Qingzang Railway. To add to its list of accomplishments, USBLR has built a 1,315-meter-long bridge over the Chenab River, 359 metres above the riverbed, and a 657-meter-long bridge across Anji Khad, 186 metres above the riverbed. Weathering Steel is utilised to create the bridges, which eliminates the requirement for painting. The bridge across the Chenab River in Reasi district is the world's tallest bridge, 30 metres higher than the Eiffel Tower. There will be provisions for future doubling on important bridges as well as line electrification. Because the region lacks electric bandwidth, the train route will initially employ diesel locomotives.
For the planning and building of this project, the world's most advanced and modern technology are being utilised. For the project's implementation, new technologies were invented in many cases. The project is India's highest altitude railway network, defying gravity in the Pir Panjal mountain range's difficult terrain. Indian Railways has developed a National Rail Plan with the goal of creating a "Future Ready" railway system by 2030. The inhabitants of J&K will be able to explore new options for business and employment in the areas of tourism, trade and commerce, and the economy in general.
Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.