World Tunnel Congress 2008 - Underground Facilities for Better Environment and Safety - India

Construction of India's largest underground Railway project

Vinod Kumar
Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd., Reasi (Jammu & Kashmir), India

SYNOPSIS: A national project to link Jammu Region with Kashmir Valley by 293 km B.G Railway Line is undertaken by Ministry of Railways (Govt. of India ) in the state of Jammu & Kashmir. About 148 km rail line is passing through two precipitous Himalayan ranges called Shivaliks & Peer Panjal where 75% of track could be inside the tunnels. About 84 tunnels, one across main boundary fault (MBF) and many others through thrust & shearzones. Longest railway tunnel about 11 km and many others in 6 to 7 km range. The accessibility to construction sites is a major constraint; net-work of 300 km roads in an inhospitable terrain required to built the project. Innovative methods to expedite the road construction needing road tunnels and major bridges. The final location survey was done without approach roads. Geological investigations were scanty for logistic and security reasons. Jeepable pathway along the track inside tunnels for rescue operations. All tunnels shall be concrete lined with Ballastless Track. The line shall be electrified with Forced Ventilation in long tunnels. 359 m high rail bridge across river Chenab to negotiate the ruling gradient of 1%. It will be tallest rail bridge in the world. Never before in the history of Indian Railways, such challenging rail project is executed.

1. HISTORY Kashmir valley is known as Paradise on the Earth and it is the crown of Indias geographical map too. The valley has remained the centre of Spiritual Learning and Creativity. The State is largely mountainous where accessibility has been a challenge all along. The only road link between Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) is through a 350 km long National Highway 1-A, passing through Shivalik & Pir-Panjal mountain ranges of Himalayas. The vehicular movement on this road is badly affected during rains & snow. The City of Jammu was brought to Indias Railway Map by British Engineers in mid-thirties and they did explore for a Rail connectivity from Jammu to Srinagar via different routes at the instance of erstwhile rulers of the State. The alignment via Akhnoor-Reasi-Gulabgarh-Shopian was considered an option those days, but severe accessibility problems ought to have failed to bring it to logical ends. Chenab crossing at Akhnoor was an easier option to enter into Kashmir Valley but after partition of the country, scenario & priorities changed. 2. CHENAB CROSSING - A UNIQUE PROBLEM TO ENTER KASHMIR VALLEY Chenab is one of the major rivers of Indus Valley originating from Lahul Spiti in Himachal Pradesh

and flowing westwards through J&K. Pir-panjal ranges are very steep. The horizontal distance from River Chenab to Kashmir Valley near Banihal/Qazigund is hardly 40 to 50 km, whereas the level difference to the nearest access to Kashmir Valley is about 1000 m. The choosing of rail alignment along the National Highway 1-A appears to have been therefore ruled-out. The British engineers and later Geological Survey of India did study this alignment but could not connect it for requisite parameters. (Fig 1). 3. POST-INDEPENDENCE SURVEY

The city of Jammu was de-linked from the Indian Railway Map after partition in 1947 as cities of Lahore and Sialkot went to Pakistan. In 1952 Mukerian Pathankot Kathua link was started. In 1962 a preliminary engineering survey of KathuaJammu rail link was carried out. Thereafter studies for extending the Pathankot-Kathua B.G.Line was carried out in the year 1964 which suggested construction of 93 km long link from Kathua to Udhampur following Dhar-Udhampur road, bypassing Jammu. In the year 1967, Ministry of Railways decided to construct Kathua-Jammu rail link which was opened to traffic in 1972.

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Figure 1.

Further Engineering-cum Traffic survey for extending the line from Jammu to Udhampur was carried out in the year 1973-74. This survey suggested two alternatives, one with a ruling gradient of 1 in 100 and other with a gradient of 1 in 50. Final location survey for extending the railway line from Jammu Tawi to Udhampur was sanctioned in 1977with a ruling gradient of 1 in 50. On further consideration, it was decided by the Ministry of Railways in 1982 to provide ruling gradient of 1 in 100 (compensated). The project is executed and operational since 2005. Northern Railway is the nodal authority of Ministry of Railways to build and operate this track section. 4. UDHAMPUR-SRINAGAR-BARAMULLA RAIL LINK (USBRL) PROJECT

alignment passed through very difficult and undulating terrain, its execution was divided in three stages (Table 1). The execution of Stage I & III, commenced in 1996 but work on Stage II, i.e, Katra-Qazigund Section could start only in 2003 as topography is highly precipitous with numerous rivers, streams, coupled with inaccessibility in most of the area. The estimate of the project could not be framed accurately due to many imponderables. In December 2002 Ministry of Railways assigned this work to two Government Agencies working under its control with Northern Railway as nodal authority: (i) Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd.(KRCL) - km 30 to 120 (Katra-Laole)

Various surveys to connect Udhampur with Kashmir valley were carried out and finally the alignment suggested by M/s Consultant Combine between 1993 to1996 was agreed to. Since the

(ii) IRCON International Ltd. - km 120 to 168 (Laole-Qazigund) The work was entrusted on cost + 10% basis to both the agencies with completion date as 15/08/07.

Table 1 Sl. No. I II II Stage Udhampur to Katra Katra to Qazigund Qazigund to Baramulla Distance km 0 to 30 km 30 to 168 km 168 to 292 Type of Terrain Difficult Most difficult Mostly Plain

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5.

SURVEY OF KATRA-QAZIGUND SECTION km 30 TO 168 A CHALLENGE

infrastructure. A large time gap between planning & execution was felt for it. Further geophysical, geotechnical and hydrological studies were conducted but inaccessibility has affected all aspects of this project. (iii) No areas were surveyed for disposal of muck, erection space required for launching of tall bridges etc.

M/s RITES (another Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Railways) were entrusted the job to design the alignment and carry-out final location survey. In their survey, they followed mostly the same alignment as that of M/s Consultant Combine with minor modification to obtain 1% ruling gradient, compensated. To study the alignment and terrain in detail before proceeding to a further plan, toposheets were converted into a digital terrain model (DTM) and the proposed alignment was transferred on it. This model was used for checking and refinement of the alignment and planning the project logistics (Fig. 2). The alignment was available on topo sheets. During aerial survey using kinetic GPS to fix control points along the alignment was planned. The survey had provided maps at 1:5,000 scale with contour interval of 2.5 m at an accuracy of 15 cm in XYZ direction, except in thick forests. For the hilly region and topography, the quantum of survey & traversing increased manifolds. The location of station yards was finalized after due diligence under available guidelines from the nodal authority. 6. GEOTECHNICAL PLANNING INVESTIGATION &

Owing to the political & socio-economic compulsion, the final location survey, geological investigations & execution of the project were taken-up simultaneously. M/s RITES designed the alignment on toposheets with the available logistics to reasonable accuracy. After pegging of the alignment, drilling rigs were dismantled and mobilized to inaccessible areas for geotechnical investigations; tenders were invited and works commenced wherever possible. Survey scope and time limitations (i) The final location survey after pegging ought to have been reviewed and confirmed by geotechnical experts. Any modifications/changes agreed thereafter were necessarily to be incorporated in the final survey before earmarking the land requirement. (ii) The scope of work to RITES did not include the survey and planning of access roads / 7.

Figure 2.

DISTRIBUTION OF WORK IN KATRAQAZIGUND SECTION

Katra-Qazigund Section was entrusted to M/s Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. & M/s IRCON International Ltd. as below: (i) Katra-Laole Section (km30 to 120)

(ii) Laole-Qazigund Section (km 120 to 168)

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M/s IRCON Intnl Ltd. were working in the Kashmir Valley in isolated Section of USBRL Project from km168 to 293 since 1996. M/s Konkan Railway Corp. Ltd. had built a 760 km Railway line on West Coast of the country from 1990 to 1998 which involved construction of 91 tunnels (85 km length) 174 major and 1679 minor bridges. The project was also built in a very difficult terrain but its success story was written by the fact that alignment ran parallel to National highway 17 where accessibility to tunnel portals and bridges was never a constraint. This very fact is not appreciated in Detailed Project Report of USBRL Project. Subsequently, about 20 km section from km 100 to 120 was transferred to M/s IRCON and present status of distribution of Katra-Qazigund Section of USBRL Project is as under: I KRCL km 30 to 100 (Katra-Dharam Section) II IRCON km 100 to 168 (DharamQazigund Section) 8. SALIENT FEATURES OF KATRAQAZIGUND SECTION OF USBRL PROJECT
Length (kms) Land (Kanals) Earthwork (Lac Cum) Major bridges (Nos.) Minor Bridges (Nos.) Tunnels (Nos.) Track in tunnels Track in bridges No. of station 142 10419 163 62 132 84 63% 11.45% 12

2.

Dharam-Qazigund Section

This section being executed by M/s IRCON International Ltd. is not discussed in this paper 9. FIRST APPROACH OF KRCL

In 2003, after mobilizing in the field KRCL deliberated on the given alignment and the approach required for successful completion of the project by 2007. It was realized that grave mistakes are committed in the Detailed Project Report from technical as well logistic point of view. KRCL, therefore, conducted independent studies for a techno-economic feasibility on a new alignment and presented it to Railways. The ruling gradient of this proposed alignment was 1:50 which was not agreed, although access road requirement would have reduced. The period of completion was suggested upto to 2015 by eliminating all major curves of the alignment. This proposal could not materialize and KRCL was asked to work on the given alignment. 10. THE CONSTRUCTION OF APPROACH ROADS: INNOVATIVE METHODS Construction of approach roads is pre-requisite to access the construction sites. Services of retired professionals from State Govt. of Jammu & Kashmir who had experience of construction of such roads in difficult terrain were obtained. A well designed/executed network of roads is made available wherever possible so far. Standard cross section of roads including retaining structures, cross drainage were developed (Fig. 3). Following steps were necessitated to expedite the construction of approach roads: Land was taken on lease from the land owners by the contractors till the formal acquisition by Railways. Such costs were reimbursed till final acquisition. Construction of approach roads were made part of contract packages of tunnel contractors to enable fast execution before start of the main works. 1 m wide tracer paths as shown in the Fig. 4(i) were made using local labour to check the feasibility, and strata in general. After the alignment marked on topo-sheets, pegging was carried out in the field simultaneously developing L-section and X-sections.

Salient Features of Katra-Dharam Section with Konkan Railway km. 30 to 100.868

Total length Total estimated cost Cost of Special Bridges (Anji Khad & Chenab) Tunnels Length Bridges Length Earthwork in Cutting & Embankment Length of Approach Road/Feeder Road. Number of Stations Number of Tunnels Number of Major Bridges Number of Minor Bridges 72.91 km. Rs. 5005.09 cr. (approx) Rs. 863 crores. 57.13 km. (78.36 %) 9.09 km (12.46 %) 6.69 km (9.17 %) 223.91 km. 07 32 34 (Including two special bridges across Anji & Chenab). 16

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Figure 3. Typical cross section of roads

Additional construction faces were made available by taking the machinery through Nallahs in the valley wherever possible (Fig4). The approach road to left bank of Anji river is passing through a cliff and precipitous mountain. Construction of this road involved height of cuts even upto 120 m (For a road width of 7.5 m). This was herculean task and was possible after creation of additional faces as visible in the Fig-4(ii). Machines like excavators, bulldozers, compressors and drilling rigs etc., were taken near the alignment at steeper gradient. These machines were deployed for excavation purpose but all the consumables like fuel, water, explosives etc., were carted through ponies which are common source of transportation in hilly terrain. Such working has enabled corporation to execute the difficult roads expeditiously. Construction

time was reduced with the adoption of such methodology depending on number of additional faces developed (like in tunnel adits/shafts) For creation of additional construction faces, wherever the accessibility is not possible through nallahs, (like upstream of River Chenab because of Salal Dam reservoir), it is also planned to air-drop the machinery. One helipad is made at one of the sites. Indian Air Force(IAF) who are in possession of MI-26 Helicopters capable of lifting equipments upto 20 tons have already agreed to perform this work for Railways. The MI-26 Helicopter can fly & deliver 0.65 cum excavator (12 tons) or Dozer D-50 (10 tons) without dismantling it (Photo 1).

Photo 1. Helipad near Surukot (J&K)

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Road tunnels were conceived in critical zones. A 400 m long road tunnel fig-4(iv) was constructed on approach to left bank of Chenab

Bridge by saving a distance of 13 kms, cost & time besides environmental protection.

Tracer Paths & Steep Slopes

(ii) (i)

(iii) Figure 4.

(iv)

Bailey bridges are utilized across the Nallahs/Valleys for ease of construction and quick access. Bailey bridges are also launched across some valleys where proper

turning radius to negotiate the movement for 30 ft trailors was not available. Use of Bailey Bridges at certain locations was economical to avoid steep curves (Photo 2).

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Railway Alignment and Design of Tunnels The railway alignment was decided in 2003. For logistics & geological problems, minor modifications were carried out during execution. For design of tunnel cross sections, assistance of M/s Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL) and of M/s National Hydro Power Corporation Ltd., (NHPC) are obtained. Both organizations are Govt. Agencies specialist in design and execution of Hydro-power Projects in India. They are assisting Railways in sub-surface investigations, slope stability analysis etc. as consultants. 11. DESIGN OF TUNNEL CROSS SECTIONS FOR SINGLE B. G. LINE (Fig. 5) (i) Normally D-type tunnel sections are in use allover Indian Railways for single broad gauge line irrespective of ground geology. However for the tunnels falling in Katra-Dharam section, design has been improvised to elliptical shape which is structurally efficient upto 300% for certain load condition than D shape. For the tunnels which are longer than 3 kms, horse-shoe section is adopted and a 3 m wide jeepable pathway is provided inside the tunnels to carry out emergency rescue operations. Such provisions have been made first time in the history of Indian Railways. Another major advantage of using elliptical

and horse-shoe sections is that, change of section is not necessary at the curved tunnel upto 2.75 degree. The requisite clearance as per schedule of dimensions can be achieved by shifting the centre line of tunnel at such locations shown in Fig-5 (i) (ii) Large sections at Yards: Some of the yards have either ends in tunnels for which two line & three line sections will be designed as per the geology and functions. 12. DEVELOPMENT OF TUNNEL PORTALS Before development of entry or exit points (Portals) extensive slope stability has been carried out to provide adequate protection during excavation and operation. 13. DESIGN OF OPEN CUT & STATION YARDS- A CHALLENGE In hilly terrain, space is also a major constraint for station yards. Reasi station is being built on a 93 m high viaduct with single platform. Similarly, Sangaldan yard is a three line station with 45 to 50 m high cutting involved in soft and medium hard clay. The slopes excavated are mostly in Muree and Dolomite formations requiring extensive protection.

D-Shape

Elliptical

Fig 5

Horse-shoe

Sections at Curves upto 2.75 Fig 5 (i)

Two line Section with platform Fig 5 (ii)

Three line section with platform Fig 5 (iii)

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14. METHODOLOGY OF TUNNELLING (i) The tunnels are passing through, soft, medium & hard rocks beside many thrust & shear zones. Conventional excavation by heading and benching method is being carried out in most of the tunnels with advance probing at the face.

made between loose muck and broken tunnel surface see Fig 6 (i). (ii) The cut off is achieved by proper drainage, driving long forepoles, cement grouting, backfill concreting etc. in one or many stages. Efforts are made to channelise the water 5 to 10 m behind the tunnel face. (iii) Cement and sand mix in 1:3 ratio is pumped into the cavities by using Concrete Pump and Transit Mixers. This method is very time saving and fast for tackling large cavities Fig 6(ii). (iv) Drainage pipes upto 15m length have been driven in the dolomite rock to tame the water and create access into the cavity. One or two pipes are used for pumping sand and cement grout or even lean concrete Fig 6 (i) & 6 (ii)). (v) After stabilizing the area on crown of the tunnel / in cavity zone, the face is normally opened by multidrift excavation in two or three openings till cavity zone is crossed over. (vi) Special method in Tunnel no. T2 : The initial 300 m length from Katra-end of 5300 m tunnel was passing through the main boundary fault (MBF) locally known as Reasi Thrust. After 210 m of tunneling through this thrust zone, it was not possible to advance by conventional methods because of extra-ordinary flowing conditions. The tunnel face was temporarily closed and provided with 4 m deep self-drilling anchors through which normal cement, super fine cement and PU Grout was injected. Tunnel support with umbrella forepoling of 51 mm Self Drilling Anchors spaced at 300 mm c/c, lattice girders and steel fibre reinforced shotcrete were installed at every half-meter including bottom closure with steel and concrete ( to be removed during benching).The cost of tunneling by this method is very high compared to conventional methods. Maximum progress of 4 to 5 m per month is only possible in heading excavation alone.

(ii) Road Header to excavate jointed rocks in soft to medium strata upto 100 U.C.S are in operation at two tunnels. A combination of excavation by Road Header with option for drilling & blast is working satisfactorily. Option to use Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) over the Road Headers was not considered, because 100% Geology was not known after the final location survey as well as for logistic problems. (iii) Hard rock consisting of Dolomite and Murees formations is being excavated by drill & blast only, followed by conventional rock supports by 150 x 150 H beams of steel shotcreting & rock bolting etc. For rock supports, wherever drilling is not possible or holes can not withstand intact after drilling, Self-Drilling Anchors of 25 & 32 mm dia are used. There is a bottom closure by steel sections in most of the reaches of tunnels. Tackling the Major Shear Zones & Cavities / Tunneling through soft ground. General Despite fore-probing, large over-breaks / cavities take place in the tunnels, mostly in dolomite formations at the tunnel face where joints are unfavourable or water charged. Method to Tackle Each tunnel cavity is tackled by a tailor made solution but guiding principles are as under: (i) In case of loose fall, no muck is removed from the tunnel face. In fact, it is packed with gunny bags containing loose earth, till a cut off is

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Figure 6. Cavity during heading excavation at TM. 478M. Rib no. 758 (T5-P1)

Grout or Concrete cutoff Rockmass

Rockmass Grouting or Concreting 89mm Drainage holes 15 to 20m Cavity Tunnel Excavation Direction Face blocking W ater

FACE BLOCKING & DRILLINGPROCESS

Figure 6 (i)

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Grout or Concrete Rockmass

Rockmass

TRANSIT MIXER2.5 CUM

89mm Drainage holes 15 to 20m CONCRETE PUM P Cavity Tunnel Excavation Direction RAM P

Ramp M aking &Grouting/Concreting

Figure 6(ii)

Tunnel Instrumentation and monitoring The job has been entrusted to professional agencies responsible for installation and monitoring the rock movements during and after the tunnel excavation. Two type of instruments i.e, Electrical load cells (base load cells) & Radial Pressure Cells are installed at critical locations besides measurements by tape extensometers 15. SPECIAL BRIDGES ON RIVER CHENAB & ANJI NALLAH Two major bridges in a very difficult terrain are under execution for which there is no parallel in

India so far. The main span of Anji Bridge is of a steel arch of 265 m which is 189 m high from the river bed. However, largest span of Chenab Bridge will be 485 m arch, 359 m high from the river bed. For erection of Chenab bridge, a cable crane of 2 x 20 ton in tandem is under installation which has 130 m high pylons on either side with a central span of about 915 m. One radial Cable Crane is also to be installed for erection of main span of Anji Bridge (Figs. 7 & 8).

Figure 7.

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Figure 8.

Other Bridges & Viaducts - There are other bridges and viaducts for which piers are as high as 125 m on this alignment. The same are not discussed in this paper. 16. CONCLUSION Railways are pioneers of tunneling in India and future of tunneling also belongs to Railways. Extension of Indian Railways is expected to take place in other hilly regions of Jammu & Kashmir. Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, North-East besides Nepal & Bhutan. Railways shall have to develop a cadre of Tunneling Engineers for execution of time bound projects like in British era. In fact, Engineering Geologists should also be recruited and trained for future projects. USBRL is monetarily largest underground project in the country after independence. Its exact cost cannot be evaluated even now but its execution is a national pride. The project is an institution in itself. It should be developed more as an Institution to train & develop future construction engineers of the country who could assist railways to expand its network in India & abroad. The lessons to be learnt from its planning & execution are:1. Align the Railway Projects along a highway or plan the highway first. It is embarrassing to see

interiors of mountains where Railway Transport System is planned before any road network. 2 Alignment cannot be decided in hilly terrains in haste. After reconnaissance survey, foot by foot trekking is most essential. With the available technology & proper planning, time & cost over-run can be curtailed. Tunnel portals should be located in hard rock in first instance. Stability and locations of entry & exit points needs to be sealed first as governing points to fix the alignment later. Tunneling should not start unless geotechnical investigations are sufficiently performed. For advance probing, best equipment available in the world should be made available at sites. Only the professional consultants & contractors should be associated. Huge claims of contractors pile-up during & after execution of under-ground projects. It is a known fact that underground projects are delayed beyond imagination sometimes for the unresolved disputes. Time is money and there is necessity to create an independent authority at National & International level to deal with such cases in time bound manner interalia arbitration.

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REFERENCE
1. Paper on Design Features of JUSBRL Project. by : V.K. Duggal, Dy CE/Con/N.Rly & D.K. Pandey, Sr.DEN/LKO/N.Rly.

BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS OF THE AUTHOR Vinod Kumar graduated in Mechanical Engineering from University of Roorkee (Roorkee) in 1972. He has worked in execution of various irrigation, nuclear, hydropower and railway projects in the country. From 1993 to 1996, he

worked as Chief Engineer/Tunnels on 760 km Konkan Railway Project between Roha & Mangalore on West Coast of India while on deputation from National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) he has also worked on execution of 1500 MW Nathpa Jhakri H.E.Project in Himachal Pradesh, where he was involved with execution of 10.15 m dia x 27.39 km long head race tunnel with Continental Foundation Joint Venture (CFJV). At present he is working as Executive Director of KatraDharam Section of Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link Project being executed by Konkan Railway as head of the project at Reasi (J&K).

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