Design of the Pir Panjal railway tunnel

The process of construction of the longest railway tunnel in India began with the award of tender to a joint venture of Geoconsult of Austria and RITES Ltd. of India for the detail design and construction supervision works. The 11km Pir Panjal tunnel, comprising an access tunnel, north and south portals, will connect Qazigund and Banihal in the Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir. The design and construction of the tunnel cross-section with rounded sidewalls for a single rail line with a motorable road follows the principles of the new austrian tunneling method (NATM).