Uttarakhand: India's Longest Rail Tunnel In Rishikesh-Karnaprayag Route Completed, Travel Time To Reduce By Five Hours

India’s longest rail tunnel, a 14.57 km stretch between Devprayag and Janasu in Uttarakhand has been completed ahead of schedule, thanks to two tunnel boring machine (TBM) operators who worked day and night to cut through unforgiving Himalayan terrain, reported PTI.

“It was a roller coaster ride in the real sense,” recalled Baljinder Singh, 44, a veteran TBM operator with Larsen & Toubro (L&T). One of the most critical moments came when a sudden landslide blocked the path 3.5 km inside the mountain.

“We normally operate the TBM at 50,000 to 60,000 kilo Newtons of force, but during that time... I had to apply the machine's full power — 1.3 lakh kilo Newtons — to clear the debris,” he said.

His colleague, 52 year-old Ram Avtar Singh Rana, described a gruelling 10 day battle to keep the German-made TBM Shakti running non-stop.

“It took nearly 10 days of non-stop struggle, working round-the-clock in 12-hour shifts... It was a huge relief and a joyous moment for the entire team when we finally cleared the blockage,” he said.

The pair’s perseverance saw the upline tunnel completed on 16 April, 2025, 12 days early.

Meanwhile, a parallel 13.09 km downline tunnel, driven by Chandrbhan Bhagat and Sandeep Mishra using another TBM named Shiv, achieved breakthrough on 29 June, 2025.

Together, the teams set a world record by advancing 790 metres in a single month.

Officials highlighted that this was the first time TBMs were deployed for a railway project in the Himalayas.

The tunnel forms part of the 125 km Rishikesh–Karnaprayag Rail Link Project, being executed by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited, with operations targeted by December 2026.

Traversing difficult Himalayan terrain, the rail line will run through the districts of Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal, Rudraprayag, and Chamoli, linking the hilly interiors of the state with the plains.

Once completed, it will offer seamless rail access to major religious and tourist destinations in Uttarakhand from Rishikesh and further to Delhi.

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