Khojak Tunnel

Coordinates: 30°49′54″N 66°35′16″E / 30.831662°N 66.587644°E / 30.831662; 66.587644

Gulistan Station on the Great Military Railway, at entrance to Kojak Tunnel, 1895
Khojak Tunnel, 2014

The Khojak Tunnel (aka Sheilla Bagh Tunnel) is a 3.91 kilometres long railway tunnel located in Killa Abdullah district of Balochistan (Province of Pakistan), near Pak-Afghan border at Chamman.[1] It is located 1,945 metres above sea level.[2]

The tunnel was constructed in 1891 under the Khojak Pass and remains one of the longest tunnels in South Asia, and the longest in Pakistan. It is expected to be surpassed by the 8.6 km Lowari Tunnel, currently under construction, in 2009.

It was featured on the old Rs. 5 banknote.

It was constructed in 3 years and it is so straight that they (still) use a mirror to reflect light at one end which is visible from the other. The legend says that the engineer building the tunnel committed suicide because both end of the tunnel did not meet on the day he calculated, later the reason was found that workers did not work one day and filled bogus logs.

The major railway line track laying and labour contractor was Waja Durra Khan Baloch from Karachi who originally migrated from Baho Kalat in early 1600s and got his first contract when British were working on Karachi Port. Later on he was awarded various railway contracts from Balochistan to Banglor and later Rangoon Burma. Later British awarded the status of honorary judge in Karachi city court and after his death a road named after him from badshi road to 8 chowk Lyari.

References

  1. ↑ 1998 District Census Report of Killa Abdullah, Population Census Organisation, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad, 2000. Pg 5
  2. ↑ 1998 District Census Report of Killa Abdullah, Population Census Organisation, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad, 2000. Pg 5

External links

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