Pattipola Tunnel

Pattipola Railway Tunnel, or the Summit Tunnel, is the third longest and the highest railway tunnel in Sri Lanka.^[1][2] It is located approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) away from the Pattipola railway station, straddling the boundary of the Badulla and Nuwara Eliya Districts.

Pattipola Tunnel

Overview
Official name	Tunnel No. 18
Other name(s)	Summit Tunnel
Location	Pattipola, Sri Lanka
Coordinates	6°50′32″N 80°50′19″E
Status	Open
Route	Main Line
Operation
Constructed	F. W. Faviell
Opened	1894
Closed	January 1951
Rebuilt	March 1951
Owner	Sri Lanka Railways
Traffic	rail
Technical
Design engineer	Guilford Lindsey Molesworth
Length	321.95 m (1,056.3 ft)
Highest elevation	1,897 m (6,224 ft)

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]

In January 1951 the concrete lining of the tunnel collapsed due to the activities of the Garret engines that were running on the Main Line at that time. Permanent repairs were completed in March 1951 by the district engineer, Priyal de Silva.^[4][5] In 1981 the tunnel was renovated, with the removal of the concrete arches installed in 1951.