The Khojak Tunnel (, ''Khojak Sarang''), is a

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

tunnel A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two portals common at each end, though there may be access and ve ...

in the Toba Achakzai range in the Qilla Abdullah District of

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region o ...

province,

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

.''1998 District Census Report of Killa Abdullah'', Population Census Organisation, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad, 2000. Pg 5 It is located above sea level. The tunnel was constructed in 1891 under the Khojak Pass, and was featured on the old Five Rupee banknote. The tunnel is one of the longest tunnels in

South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...

, and was the longest in Pakistan until superseded by the

Lowari Tunnel Lowari Tunnel (, ''Lowari Surang'') consists of two separate tunnels, and the combined length of both tunnels is 10.4 kilometers (6.5 miles). It is a vehicular tunnel under the Lowari Pass of the Hindu Kush mountains, between Dir and Chitral ...

in 2018.

History

The tunnel was constructed in 1891 under the Khojak Pass and remains one of the longest tunnels in South Asia, and the second longest in Pakistan, having been surpassed in length by the Lowari Pass in 2018. It was featured on the old Rs. 5 banknote. It was constructed in 3 years and it is so straight that a mirror can be used to reflect light at one end which is visible from the other. The major railway line track laying and labor contractor was Waja Durra Khan Gorgigh Baloch from Karachi who originally migrated from Baho Kalat in early1800s and in his teen age year got his first contract when British were working on Karachi Port. Later on he was awarded various railway contracts from Balochistan to Assam, Banglor and later Rangoon Burma, after his death his son took charge and British awarded his son Waja Fakir Muhammad Durra Khan the status of honorary judge in Karachi city court and after his death a road named after him from Badshahi road to 8 chowk Lyari.

History

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