Shinku-La Tunnel or Shinkula Tunnel or Shingo-La Tunnel is upcoming motorable tunnel under 16,580ft high Shinku-la pass between Himachal’s Lahaul valley and Ladakh’s Zanskar valley in Northern India.
Ministry of Defence through Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is building Darcha-Shinkula-Padum-Nimu as an alternative road to connect Ladakh with Himachal Pradesh. This will be the third highway connecting Ladakh with mainland after Srinagar-Kargil-Leh and Manali-Sarchu-Leh highways.
The Manali-Padum-Nimu road or Darcha-Padum-Nimu road will become all-weather after completion of the Shinku-la tunnel. This will be the safest and shortest road to reach Leh.
As Atal Tunnel, Rohtang, has bypassed 13,050ft high Rohtang pass, Shinkula pass will be the only pass on this new road. Unlike Manali-Sarchu-Leh highway which has many mountain passes, the Darcha-Padum-Nimu road has only one pass — Shinkula pass.
The Defence Ministry is concentrating more on this new road as it will facilitate in military movement even in winter months. Otherwise, both Manali-Leh and Srinagar-Leh highways get blocked following heavy snowfall for five to seven months a year.
Currently, Atal tunnel is the world’s longest highway tunnel above 10,000ft. After completion, Shinku-la tunnel will be the longest high altitude highway tunnel in the world. The work on the 13.5-km-long Shinku-la tunnel is expected to start in 2021. (Please note that as of May 19, 2021, MoD has rejected the proposal of 13.5 km long tunnel and given nod to 4.25 KM long Shinku-la tunnel which was surveyed by BRO long back close to Shingo la pass.)
Length of the Darcha-Shinkula pass – Padum-Nimu highway will be 297 KM. Nimu is 35km from Leh and 185km from Kargil. Darcha is 100km from Manali (via Atal Tunnel) along Manali-Sarchu-Leh highway.
Darcha to Padum stretch was connected last year in September when the Discover Leh Ladakh team became first to drive on this stretch. Nearly 35KM road is still to be made to connect Padum with Nimu. About 100km of the road has been made double-lane.
Shinku La Tunnel specifications
Name of Tunnel: Shinku-La Tunnel
Length of Tunnel: 4.25 KM (earlier 13.5km)
Location: Lahaul, Himachal Pradesh and Zanskar, UT of Ladakh
North Portal: Lakhang, Zanskar (Now 3 KM before Shinku-la top)
South Portal: At KM 33, Just below Shinku-la top (Earlier it was Patseo, Lahaul)
Altitude of tunnel (approximate): 15,900ft
Altitude of Shinkula Pass: 16,580 ft
Road: Manali-Padum-Nimmu
