Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) has achieved the final breakthrough of 10.84 km long escape tunnel-1 under the Rishikesh-Karanprayag New Rail Line Project. It is the second longest tunnel passing through challenging Himalayan geology. With this, the project has achieved a total 41 tunnel breakthroughs with only five tunnels left which is likely to be completed by 2027.
The project involves laying of a 125.09 km long new railway line connecting Rishikesh, in the foothills of the Himalayas, to Karanprayag in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand with an investment of Rs 370 billion. It includes 16 main tunnels over 104 km and 12 escape tunnels covering 98 km. It is being executed by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL). The construction work is expected to be completed by December 2029. Currently, it has achieved an overall physical progress of 78 per cent along with tunnel excavation work of 97 per cent.