India’s Longest Railway Tunnel Breakthrough Achieved In Uttarakhand Under Rishikesh-Karnaprayag Rail Project—All About It

In a major milestone for the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag rail project, the breakthrough of India’s longest railway tunnel — the 14.57 km Janasu Tunnel — was successfully completed on Wednesday (16 April).

Union Rail Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the site to mark the occasion.

The tunnel, designated as T-8 and T-8M, comprises twin tubes and is the longest among several tunnels under construction on the 125-km route.

Built using state-of-the-art Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) imported from Germany, the Janasu Tunnel represents a leap in technological sophistication for Indian railway infrastructure.

In contrast, the other tunnels in the project are being constructed using conventional drill-and-blast methods.

A vertical shaft, located about 1.5 km from Janasu, has also been constructed to aid excavation and logistics during tunnel construction.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw praised the tunnel construction work, calling it a major achievement for Uttarakhand that will strengthen rail connectivity in the hilly regions.

He said that such use of modern technology in tunnel construction will serve as a benchmark for future projects.

On this occasion, Vaishnaw also noted that the day is historically significant because on 16 April 1853, India’s first train ran between Bori Bunder and Thane — and, the breakthrough of India’s longest transportation tunnel, the Janasu Tunnel, has also been achieved on 16 April.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the long-cherished dream of bringing railways to the hills is now becoming a reality.

He added that this tunnel will be fully completed in the coming months.

The 125-kilometre rail line, which passes through challenging Himalayan terrain, passes through Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal, Rudrapryag and Chamoli districts of Uttarakhand and will provide rail connectivity to the hilly regions of the state.

It will connect religious and tourist spots in Uttarakhand with Rishikesh and Delhi.

With 84 per cent of its total length, the alignment of the project predominantly passes through tunnels.

The project involves the construction of 16 mainline tunnels, totaling 105 kilometers, and 12 escape tunnels, covering 98 kilometers.

The project also involves construction of 19 major bridges.

As part of the project, 12 new railway stations are also being constructed. These are Yognagari Rishikesh , Shivpuri, Byasi, Devprayag, Janasu, Maletha, Ranihat Naithan (Srinagar), Dhari Devi, Tilani, Gholtir, Gauchar and Karnprayag.

Also Read: Rishikesh-Karnaprayag Rail Line Project: Nine Out Of 16 Mainline Tunnels, Eight Major Bridges Completed