Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd (MEIL) achieved a breakthrough on the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag Railway Tunnel project this week.
The team broke through in the challenging Himalayan terrain in Uttarakhand on package eight of the T15 main tunnel. The 7km-long tunnel connects Gholtir and Gauchar.
Tunnelling on the T15 escape tunnel had already been completed, and tunnel lining works are under way.
Package eight features two tunnels with a combined length of more than 13.5km, two escape tunnels, 45 cross-passages, and three bridges. MEIL says excavation of the second tunnel and escape tunnel was also progressing steadily.
The company is using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) on the project.
The 125km-long Rishikesh-Karnaprayag[https://www.tunnelsandtunnelling.com/analysis/a-new-type-of-indian-jumbo-7967936/] rail project comprises 12 stations, 35 bridges, and more than 100km of tunnel. Once completed, it will cut the travel time between Rishikesh and Karnaprayag from seven hours to just over two hours.
