Tunnel rides are enjoyable. Since my childhood days, I always fascinated to travel through a tunnel. A tunnel ride acts as a break in the routine, offering a thrilling and immersive sensory experience. Though we never had the oppurtunity to take a tunnel ride, except when we travel to our village from town. I remember passing through 3 different small tunnel while travelling in a train. Whether it is a motorcycle, train, or bicycle tunnel, the experience is often memorable because of the dramatic shift from open surroundings to a confined space. And when I get the chance to travel through the longest road tunnel I was thrilled for the all new adventure. I had many memorable road travels, but this one going to be a new experience for sure a childhood dreams to come True.
Jammu is situated in northern part of India and is covered with many mountains. The area has well developed roads that includes few tunnel that crosses from inside the mountains. Riding through a tunnel, particularly a long one, can trigger a sense of adventure, excitement, or even a slight, thrilling fear especially in dark or rustic old tunnels. Recently, while I was away for a trip in Jammu, I had the chance to cross the The Chenani - Nashri Tunnel also known as Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Tunnel. The tunnel is built between two villages in hills. On one side is Chennani, while the side of the hill is call Nashri. It is one of the engineering marvel that reduces travel time between Jammu and Srinagar by roughly two hours, providing a smooth, 9 km, all weather driving experience through the Himalayas.
As soon as we enter the tunnel, it gets too dark. We were expecting it to finish in short time, but soon we knew it going to be a long ride. As India's longest highway tunnel (nearly 9 km), passing through it is a proud experience for travelers and surely an enjoyable time for me. The tunnel is fully integrated with a transverse ventilation system for fresh air, 124 cameras, linear heat detection, and SOS boxes every 150 meters, providing a secure, high tech driving experience. It bypasses landslide prone areas, offers excellent lighting, and includes advanced safety features. The interior is well lit and well maintained, with a dedicated parallel escape tunnel for emergencies. We thought to stop.in middle but it could.risky due to heavy traffic. Passing through it is a dream come True. The sound and echo reminded me of my childhood fantasies.
The tunnel significantly reduces the journey time by about 2 hours and reduces the distance by 30 km, making the journey less stressful and faster. It went on nicely and ultimately ended up as one of the best road trip i ever had. This is my entry to this week Weekend engagement topic 1.
In good faith - Peace!!
