Rishikesh-Karnaprayag Rail Project in Uttarakhand Records 41st Tunnel Breakthrough with Escape Tunnel-1

Exam-focused facts from the 13 September 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

The Rishikesh-Karnaprayag rail project achieved its 41st tunnel breakthrough with the final breakthrough of Escape Tunnel-1 on September 11, 2026.
Escape Tunnel-1 is 10.847 km long, the second-longest tunnel in the project, and is now connected along its entire length.
The project is being developed by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), a PSU under the Ministry of Railways, at a cost of Rs 37,000 crore.
The 125-km railway line, sanctioned in Union Budget 2010-11, passes through Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal, Rudraprayag and Chamoli districts, and is targeted for completion by December 2029.
The project includes 16 main tunnels spanning 104 km and 12 escape tunnels covering around 98 km; as of August 2026, overall progress was 78 per cent with about 97 per cent of tunnel excavation complete.