Moragalla Tunnel

Moragalla Tunnel

Overview
Official name	Tunnel No. 9
Other name(s)	Lion's Mouth (සිoහ කට)
Location	Moragolla, Sri Lanka
Coordinates	7°15′19.5″N 80°30′7.8″E
Status	Open
Route	Main Line
Start	Kadugannawa
End	Balana
Operation
Work begun	July 1863
Constructed	F. W. Faviell
Opened	July 1866
Owner	Sri Lanka Railways
Traffic	rail
Technical
Design engineer	Guilford Lindsey Molesworth
Length	334 m (1,096 ft)
Highest elevation	400 m (1,300 ft)

Moragalla Railway Tunnel or Lion's Mouth Tunnel is the second longest railway tunnel in Sri Lanka.[1]

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.[2] It is the last climb of the Kadugannawa Pass, and is considered to be one of the most dangerous and difficult construction projects along the railway line. The tunnel was bored from both ends meeting in the middle. Construction commenced from the Kandy end in July 1863 and the Colombo side in September 1863 and the works were completed on 22 March 1866,[3] with over 7,894 m^3 (10,325 cu yd) of rock excavated. The tunnel is 334 m (1,096 ft) long and contains a double curve.[1][4]

The tunnel gains its name from the overhanging rock, immediately proceeding the tunnel on the Kadugannawa end, which appears to resemble the open mouth of a roaring lion.[5]

References

1. Perera, G. F. (1925). The Ceylon Railway: The Story of Its Inception and Progress. The Ceylon Observer. p. 98.
2. Ratnasinghe, Aryadasa (3 January 1999). "A historic journey in 1864". Sunday Times. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
3. Souvenirs of Ceylon: a Series of 120 Illustrations of the Varied Coast, River and Mountain Scenery of the Beautiful 'Eden of the Eastern Wave'. National Library of the Netherlands. 1869. pp. 220–221.
4. Ceylon. Commission, World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago (1893). Official Handbook & Catalogue of the Ceylon Courts: With Map and Illustrations. H.C. Cottle. p. 83.
5. "The entrance to tunnel called the Lion's Mouth going to Kandy". British Library. Retrieved 11 September 2017.