India's longest railway tunnel, which will realise the dream of connecting Kashmir, a state in north India, with rest of the country by train, will be made operational next year.
The 11-km-long tunnel, passing through the Pir Panjal mountain range, will link Qazigund in Kashmir with Banihal in Jammu region.
"We are hopeful that Banihal-Qazikund rail line consisting the longest tunnel in the country will be commissioned by December 2012," Northern Railway Chief Administrative Officer Chahatey Ram said.
Austrian tunnelling method, the latest tunnelling technology and first used in the country for the Delhi Metro, is being used for construction of the tunnel, named T-80. The method involves integration of surrounding soil formations into a ring-like support structure.
On completion, T-80 will be Asia's second-largest tunnel, next only to the 20-km Wushaoling tunnel in Gansu, China.
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