Singha Malai Tunnel
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Tunnel No. 14 |
| Other name(s) | Poolbank Tunnel |
| Location | Hatton, Sri Lanka |
| Coordinates | 6°53′52.85″N 80°36′16.23″E / 6.8980139°N 80.6045083°E |
| Status | Open |
| Route | Main Line |
| Start | Hatton |
| End | Kotagala |
| Operation | |
| Constructed | F. W. Faviell |
| Owner | Sri Lanka Railways |
| Traffic | rail |
| Technical | |
| Design engineer | Guilford Lindsey Molesworth |
| Length | 562 m (1,844 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 1,291 m |
| Width | 5.5 m (18 ft) |
Singha Malai Tunnel or Poolbank Tunnel is the longest railway tunnel in Sri Lanka.[1][2][3]
There are 46 tunnels along the Main Line between Colombo and Badulla. The longest tunnel is the Poolbank tunnel between Hatton and Kotagala, which is 562 m (1,844 ft) long,[4] 5.5 m (18 ft) wide[5] and has a curvature in the middle so that one end of the tunnel cannot be seen from the other end.[6] In the middle of the tunnel the gradient begins to decline, with the Kotagala railway station being approximately 23 m (75 ft) lower than the Hatton railway station.[7]
The tunnel was designed by Sir Guilford Lindsey Molesworth, the first Director-General of Railways in Ceylon (1865-1871) and constructed by F. W. Faviell.[3] The tunnel's construction represented a significant engineering feat at the time, as it was bored from both ends meeting in the middle.[8] The tunnel was named the Poolbank tunnel as it runs under the Poolbank tea estate, which was established in 1880.[9] It is also called Singha Malai tunnel, after a nearby rock formation, Singha is Tamil for 'Lion' and Malai for 'Mountain'.
References
- ^ Perera, G. F. (1925). The Ceylon Railway: The Story of Its Inception and Progress. The Ceylon Observer. p. 518.
- ^ Ratnasinghe, Aryadasa (3 August 2004). "It happened 146 years ago: Cutting the first sod of earth for the Railway". Daily News. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ^ a b Ratnasinghe, Aryadasa (3 January 1999). "A historic journey in 1864". Sunday Times. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ^ Ferguson, John (1887). Ceylon in the Jubilee Year. Asian Educational Services. p. 299.
- ^ Ratnasinghe, Aryadasa. "Through tunnels and rocks on the main line". Sunday Times. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
- ^ Ranatunga, D. C. (1 October 2010). "Tale of the "Yakada Yaka"". Daily FT. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ^ Cave, Henry W. (1910). The Ceylon Government Railway: A Descriptive and Illustrated Guide. Cassell & Co. Ltd. p. 132.
- ^ Ratnasinghe, Aryadasa (13 June 1999). "Train to Badulla". Sunday Times. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ^ "Poolbank". The History of Ceylon Tea. Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company PLC. Retrieved 7 September 2017.