Jansu Tunnel Breakthrough: A major achievement for Uttarakhand Rail Connectivity
The breakthrough of the 14.57 km Jansu Tunnel, achieved using state-of-the-art Tunnel Boring Machines, marks a historic milestone for Uttarakhand's rail connectivity. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inspected the project, highlighting its significance in enhancing transportation in hilly areas and setting a precedent for future tunnel constructions.
The Union Railway Minister visited Uttarakhand for a day on Wednesday. He inspected the Rishikesh railway station and visited the Jansu tunnel, which had a breakthrough on the same day, located between Devprayag and Jansu. He provided proper directions to the railway officials during his visit. The breakthrough of the longest 14.57 km T-8 and T-8M double tube tunnels, part of the Rishikesh-Karnprayag railway project between Devprayag and Jansu, has been successfully completed.
During this significant event, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami toured Janasu railway station and reviewed the progress of the tunnel construction.
Construction of 14.57KM long tunnel
Garhwal MP Anil Baluni and State Cabinet Minister Dr. Dhan Singh Rawat were in attendance at the event. The 14.57 km long tunnels were built using a state-of-the-art Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), demonstrating the project's technical prowess.
Meanwhile, the other tunnels in the project are being built using traditional drill and blast methods. Due to the area's challenging geological conditions, specialized TBM machines were brought in from Germany to aid in the tunnel excavation. Additionally, a vertical shaft (well tunnel) has been constructed approximately 1.5 km from Janasu to facilitate excavation and construction activities.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw appreciated the tunnel construction work and said that the project is a major achievement for Uttarakhand, which will strengthen rail connectivity in hilly areas. He said that tunneling with such modern technology will become a model for future projects.
Giving information on this occasion, Union Minister Shri Vaishnaw said that today is also a historic day because on this day in 1853, the first train in India ran between Bori Bunder and Thane and today the breakthrough of India's longest transportation tunnel Jansu Tunnel has also happened.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the dream of bringing rail to the hills now seems to be coming true. He said that this tunnel will be fully ready in the next few months. The Chief Minister extended his best wishes to all the engineers, technical experts and workers engaged in the construction of the tunnel for this breakthrough. Describing it as a symbol of technological progress, hard work and collective efforts, he said that this achievement will open new avenues of development and connectivity for the state in the coming times.