February 20, 2024: Country’s longest transportation tunnel namely ‘T-49’ on Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) was dedicated to nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he virtually flagged off the first electrified trains on February 20, 2024. Two electrified trains simultaneously, one from Srinagar to Sangaldan in the down direction and the other from Sangaldan to Srinagar in the up direction started service. The T49 tunnel falls between the Khari-Sumber section of Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link. Trains can now run from Baramulla to Sangaldan via Banihal, which used to be the last or originating station earlier. T-49 is the most challenging of the 11 tunnels in the Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangadal section.
IRCON along with Northern Railway officials had conducted Engine trail run between Banihal station to Sumber station on 25 January 2024. Further, the client conducted CRS inspection for Khari to Sangaldan station 31 January 2024. This is part of the various tests being conducted for checking the readiness of the various under construction sections between Katra and Banihal which will complete the ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramula Rail Link Project connecting Kashmir Valley to rest of India.
The T-49A Tunnel is India’s longest Railway Tunnel of 12.72 km length falls in this section. IRCON Limited had awarded a contract to HCC to construct 5.1 km long tunnel T49A, substructure of 445 m long Bridge 2 and 346 m long Bridge 3 and earthworks at Sumber Yard totalling about 6.4 km stretch on Dharam-Qazigund Section of the J&K Rail link. Earlier, HCC has constructed the 11.2 km Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel between Banihal station and Quazikund station of south Kashmir, which was commissioned in July 2013.