Singha Malai Tunnel
Overview
Official nameTunnel No. 14
Other name(s)Poolbank Tunnel
LocationHatton, Sri Lanka
Coordinates6°53′52.85″N 80°36′16.23″E / 6.8980139°N 80.6045083°E / 6.8980139; 80.6045083
StatusOpen
RouteMain Line
StartHatton
EndKotagala
Operation
ConstructedF. W. Faviell
OwnerSri Lanka Railways
Trafficrail
Technical
Design engineerGuilford Lindsey Molesworth
Length562 m (1,844 ft)
Highest elevation1,291 m
Width5.5 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

  1. ↑ Perera, G. F. (1925). The Ceylon Railway: The Story of Its Inception and Progress. The Ceylon Observer. p. 518.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. 1 2 Ratnasinghe, Aryadasa (3 January 1999). "A historic journey in 1864". Sunday Times. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  4. ↑ Ferguson, John (1887). Ceylon in the Jubilee Year. Asian Educational Services. p. 299.
  5. ↑ Ratnasinghe, Aryadasa. "Through tunnels and rocks on the main line". Sunday Times. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  6. ↑ Ranatunga, D. C. (1 October 2010). "Tale of the "Yakada Yaka"". Daily FT. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  7. ↑ Cave, Henry W. (1910). The Ceylon Government Railway: A Descriptive and Illustrated Guide. Cassell & Co. Ltd. p. 132.
  8. ↑ Ratnasinghe, Aryadasa (13 June 1999). "Train to Badulla". Sunday Times. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  9. ↑ "Poolbank". The History of Ceylon Tea. Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company PLC. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
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