The Rishikesh-Karnaprayag Rail Link project has been in the news of late and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. The work contractor for this tunnel is the construction firm Larsen and Toubro, which has achieved a remarkable feat on June 29, a day ahead of the baseline schedule. The company has set a new world record in tunnel construction using a single-shield hard rock tunnel boring machine.
"The TBM Team has broken the world record by achieving a maximum progress of 790 metres in a month (31 days) using Single Scheid Hard Rock TBM named Shiv," SV Desai, the Whole Time Director, L&T Limited, was quoted as saying by PTI.
According to the officials of the company, this is the first time that anywhere in the world a single-shield hard rock tunnel boring machine (TBM) was used in such an efficient manner.
"In the last leg of the boring work in the month of May-June for the longest rail tunnel of the country, the TBM, named Shiv, excavated 790 meters in 31 days and achieved a breakthrough," Rakesh Arora, Project Director, added.
This 13.09-km-long tunnel is the downline one, running parallel at a 25-metre distance from the first one, a 14.57 km long upline tunnel, which achieved breakthrough earlier on April 16, 2025.
Completed by L&T, these twin tunnels between Devprayag and Janasu make the country's longest transportation tunnels, and they are part of the ambitious 125-km Rishikesh-Karnaprayag Broad Gauge Rail Link Project in Uttarakhand, scheduled to be operationalised in December 2026.
L&T officials said that the total length of both tunnels is 30 km, which includes, besides the main tunnels, escape tunnels, cross-passages and niches.
While 70 per cent work (21 km) was done through TBMs, the remaining 30 per cent (9 km) was completed using drill and blast (also known as New Australian Tunnelling Method).
With PTI inputs
