There have been transport tunnels in India for over 150 years.
One of the early longer tunnels was built after the inauguration of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway -- the proud 1.3 km Parsik Tunnel, Thane, that opened in 1916.
The 916 m Jamalpur Tunnel, in Bihar, which was part of the Eastern Railway is the oldest, but shorter, dating from 1861. Bhanwar Tonk Tunnel, a little longer, near Kargi Road, Bilaspur, in the South East Central Railway followed in 1907.
Road tunnels came later.
Tunnelling Association of India statistics showed India had 1,641 road and rail tunnels covering 3,445 km in 2020. Since many more, often prestigious projects have been completed.
The famed T-50 is India's longest tunnel at an amazing 12.77 km, on the Khari-Sumber section, Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link. A few longer tunnels are expected to be completed this year.
The Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel, also known as the Banihal-Qazigund Railway Tunnel is a 11.2 km long, at 5,770 ft elevation, in Jammu and Kashmir, part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail.
The Sangaldan Railway Tunnel, T-49 runs 10.1 km and is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project -- India's third longest transport tunnel.
The Syama Prasad Mookerjee Tunnel aka Chenani-Nashri Tunnel, in Jammu and Kashmir on the NH 44, is India's longest road tunnel at 9.2 km.
The Trivandrum Port Tunnel, situated in Kerala, improves connectivity with the city's port. Around 9 km, this road tunnel was inaugurated in 2022.
Located in Himachal Pradesh, the road tunnel is 9 km. Constructed at an altitude of over 3,000 meters, it connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti Valley.
The Banihal Qazigund Road Tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir, extends around 8.5 km. This road tunnel links Banihal and Qazigund, improving connectivity across the rugged landscape of the region.
The Rapuru Tunnel, located in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, is 6.64 km long. It offers a direct route for various rail lines through challenging terrain.
The Karbude Tunnel, between Ukshi and Bhooke, located in Maharashtra, is 6.5 km and belongs to the Konkan Railways.
Also called the Sonmarg Tunnel, the 6.4 km bi-directional tunnel connects snowy Gagangir and Sonamarg in Jammu and Kashmir i n the winter.
Maliguda Tunnel is a notable railway tunnel in Koraput, Odisha, and the country's fourth-longest broad-gauge railway tunnel, stretching 4.42 km in length.