 The Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel or Banihal railway

tunnel is an 11.215 km (7 mile) railway tunnel located

in Pir Panjal Range of middle Himalayas in Jammu
and Kashmir, India, north of Banihal town.
 The average elevation of the 11.215 km long railway
tunnel is 1,760 m (5,770 ft) or about 440 m (1,440 ft)
below the existing road tunnel
 It is India's longest railway tunnel and Asia’s fourth
longest railway tunnel (53.85-km long Seikan Tunnel in
Japan is the longest; 28 km long Taihang Tunnel in
China is the second longest and 21 km long Lulianghsan
Tunnel in Shanxi, China is the third longest). It takes
approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds for the train to
cross the tunnel
The new 11.215 km (7 mile) long Banihal-Qazigund
tunnel for the Jammu–Baramulla line connecting
Bichleri Valley of Banihal with Qazigund area
of Kashmir Valley has been constructed as a part of
its Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project.
The boring was completed in four years in October
2011, its lining and laying of rail tracks was
completed in the next one year and trial run
commenced on 28 December 2012. The tunnel was
commissioned on 26 June 2013 and commercial runs
started from 27 June 2013.
TUNNEL AFTER
COMPELETION
.
.

TUNNEL
ON A MAP
 The rail tunnel reduces the distance between Quazigund and
Banihal by 17 km (from 35 km by road to 17.5 km by
train).Banihal railway station is situated at 1,702 m (5,584 ft)
above mean sea level. The railway network in Kashmir from
Banihal to Baramulla is now 137 km. Until the 148 km Katra-
Banihal section of Jammu–Baramulla line gets constructed in
another five years in 2018, people can travel from Jammu
Tawi or Udhampur to Banihal by road and take the train from
Banihal to Srinagar through the Banihal railway tunnel.

 The Transport System Affected in the Winter Season Because

of Snow fall, So That tunnel become Substitute for That .
 It is 11.215 km (7 mile) long .
 It is India's longest railway tunnel and Asia's fourth
longest railway tunnel.
 There is a three meter wide road along the length of
the tunnel for the maintenance of railway tracks and
emergency relief .
 Only single track.
 Speed of train in this tunnel is 15 km/h
BALLASTLESS TRACK FIRE PIPES
 The tunnel has been constructed using New Austrian
Tunneling Method (NATM) and it is for the first time
such a method has been used on such a large scale in
India.

 Hindustan Construction Company, which

implemented the project, said that China had
constructed the longest tunnel in Asia.
New
Austrian
Tunneling
Method
(NATM)
The work on the tunnel had started in November 2005
and Completed in 7 years And opened in 2013.
About 1,300 workers and 150 engineers worked
tirelessly overcoming all odds for the last seven years
to accomplish the engineering marvel.
. The construction of the tunnel was started in
November 2005. It was built at a cost of Rs10bn
($201.8m). Construction was undertaken by
Hindustan Construction Company under an INR3.9bn
contract awarded in 2005. The tunnel was opened in
June 2013.
 Terrorist challenges.
 Nearest to the international border.
 Plans for close circuit cameras at all major bridges ,
tunnels and railway station have been made.
 Lighting provided inside to the tunnel.
 Snow fall.