Singha Malai Tunnel or Poolbank Tunnel is the second longest railway tunnel in Sri Lanka. There are 46 tunnels along the

Main Line Mainline, ''Main line'', or ''Main Line'' may refer to: Transportation Railway * Main line (railway), the principal artery of a railway system * Main line railway preservation, the practice of operating preserved trains on an operational railw ...

between

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

and

Badulla Badulla ( si, බදුල්ල, ta, பதுளை) is the capital and the largest city of Uva Province situated in the lower central hills of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of Uva Province and the Badulla District. Geography Badulla is ...

. The longest tunnel is the Poolbank tunnel between Hatton and

Kotagala Kotagala is a small town in the Nuwara Eliya District of the Central Province, Sri Lanka. It is located 35.8 km (22.2 mi) from Nuwara Eliya at an elevation of 1,247 m (4,091 ft) above sea level. Attractions * Devon Falls, a 97 ...

, which is long, wide and has a curvature in the middle so that one end of the tunnel cannot be seen from the other. It was the longest railway tunnel in the county until the construction of Kakunadura tunnel at Nakuttiyagama, as part of the project to extend the railway line from Matara to Beliatta.In the middle of the tunnel the gradient begins to decline, as the Kotagala railway station is approximately lower than the Hatton railway station. The tunnel was designed by Sir Guilford Lindsey Molesworth, the first Director-General of

Railways Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

in Ceylon (1865-1871) and constructed by F. W. Faviell. The tunnel's construction represented a significant engineering feat at the time, as it was bored from both ends meeting in the middle. The tunnel was named the Poolbank tunnel as it runs under the Poolbank tea estate, which was established in 1880. It is also called Singha Malai tunnel, after a nearby rock formation, Singha is

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

for 'Lion' and Malai for 'Mountain'.

References

{{Reflist Railway tunnels in Sri Lanka Tunnels completed in 1885 Rail transport in Nuwara Eliya District