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In a milestone achievement in the Sivok-Rangpo rail project, an evacuation tunnel was bored along with the main tunnel on December 10.
The first breakthrough in Tunnel No.11, located in Kalimpong district of West Bengal, was done in presence of the project director, chief general manager and other officers of Ircon International Limited, Northeast Frontier Railway, Amberg Engineering (Detail Design Consultancy) team and construction agency ABCI Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd., along with local administration. Sabyasachi De, CPRO of NF Railway said the length of the main tunnel is 3,232 metres and of the evacuation tunnel is 960 metres, located between Tarkhola and Tumlangkhola in Kalimpong. "The tunnel traverses through vulnerable and challenging geological conditions of the lesser Himalayas. Like all other tunnels in this Sivok-Rangpo Rail Project, to counter the vulnerability of the groundmass, the latest and most sophisticated tunnelling technology, i.e., the New Austrian Tunnelling Method or NATM has been adopted. Not only the top class and well-experienced engineers from India, but also the highly experienced foreign engineers are also involved in this project. The Evacuation Tunnel is connecting the NH-10 and the Main Tunnel No. 11," De said. The NF Railway CPRO further said this new rail link project spans about 45 kms and has 14 tunnels, 13 major bridges, 10 minor bridges and 4 new stations. "About 38 km of the entire project alignment passes through tunnels and 63 per cent of tunnelling work has already been completed. At present all the activities related to the construction of tunnels, bridges and station yards are going on a war footing. We have set sights on completing the project by the end of 2023," De said. He further said with its completion tourism and socio-economic development of the region would get a much-needed boost. "Once operational, the project will prove to be important for connecting Sikkim with the rail network. The people of the region will get long-distance access across the country and uninterrupted supply of essential goods to Sikkim could be facilitated to cater to the needs of the people," the NF Railway CPRO said. (ANI)
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