Govt plans parallel rail line beneath Zojila Pass in J&K

The Union government is contemplating to build a parallel rail line along the all-weather tunnel beneath the Zojila pass in J&K. National Highway and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) has already presented the proposal of a parallel tunnel to the road transport and highways ministry and the PMO has directed the agency to look into the option of integrating road and rail networks on this stretch. The NHIDCL has awarded the work of a 14.1 km tunnel to Hyderabad-based infrastructure major, Megha Engineering. The transport ministry had restructured the earlier project, which brought down the cost of the tunnel by nearly ₹3,500 crore. Zojila tunnel will ensure round-the-year connectivity from Srinagar to Ladakh. While the original plan was to build an escape tunnel along the main tunnel, the idea was done away with when the plan was tweaked. Even if train operations are planned on this stretch, very few trains may actually run and a railway line can be laid in the main tunnel which will be constructed. The vehicular traffic can be blocked for half an hour when the train passes through the tunnel. A parallel tunnel can be built after the first one as agencies will have a better assessment of the geological condition and the cost estimate would be more realistic.