Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel:
The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link’s (USBRL) completion, marked by the Katra–Sangaldan section, ensures year-round, faster rail access to the Kashmir Valley.
- The Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel, also known as the Banihal Railway Tunnel, is currently India’s longest transportation railway tunnel, measuring 2 kilometers in length.
- It is part of the Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) and connects Quazigund in the Kashmir Valley with Banihal in Jammu, passing under the Pir Panjal mountain range.
- It is the only broad-gauge mountain railway tunnel in the country and part of the USBRL’s 202-km core segment.
- Pir Panjal Range is part of the Lesser Himalayas, spans across Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. With notable peaks include Indrasan (6,221 m) and Deo Tibba (6,001 m).
- It separates the Beas and Ravi Rivers from the Chenab River and is the origin zone for tributaries of the Jhelum and Indus Rivers.
- The Mughal Road traverses the Pir Panjal Pass (3,490 m) to link Poonch and Rajouri with Srinagar.
- The Jawahar Tunnel (2.5 km) under Banihal Pass connects Banihal to Qazigund.
- The region hosts famous destinations like Gulmarg and was historically an ancient trade route connecting Kashmir with mainland India.
