The construction of seven tunnels of the Kala Chitta mountain range located in the geographical limits of Attock, the last district of the Punjab province of Pakistan, is no less than a miracle. They are a high example of the technical skills of British railway engineers. The most important reason for the fame of these tunnels is this. That they have become a part of the Guineas Book of the world record and because of the numerical count of seven they are called seven sister tunnels.
These twin tunnels are the best reflection of the greatness of the railway and it is also the historical heritage of the country and the nation.
If you travel from Attock railway station to Jand by train branch line, Kanjoor railway station comes after about 7 km and next to it is Jhalar railway station, the distance between both of them is about 10 km. Between these stations there is a mountain range called “Kala Chatta” whose branches extend far. It is made by cutting seven long tunnels through this mountain range. These seven tunnels are spread over a distance of about 5 km with a total length of 9046 feet or about 3 km. No other place in the world has seven consecutive long tunnels at such a short distance.
The length of these seven tunnels is 892 feet, 1180 feet, 855 feet, 1776 feet, 1131 feet, 1616 feet and the length of the seventh tunnel is 1596 feet.
One of the interesting things about these tunnels is that there are natural springs of water in the third and seventh tunnels and the water flows along the banks and comes outwards, then enters the drain built along the railway track and goes down the slope, where shepherds and cattle are seen quenching their thirst.
Thus, the normal tunnels are in a straight line, but the fourth tunnel seems to be a marvel of civil engineering, which is the only tunnel that is curved instead of straight. Both ends were joined in the middle. If you walk in this spinning tunnel, because you cannot see the next grain, it feels as if you are standing in the same place and moving your feet instead of moving forward. When railway workers carry out repairs inside the tunnel, sunlight is reflected by large mirrors and thrown into the tunnel, brightening the interior.
Standing in the middle of the railway track, if you look towards the north, three tunnels can be seen in a straight line. Seeing the light of these tunnels, one feels that a giant eye is constantly watching without blinking. The sight of the train in these tunnels is very interesting because the train gets lost somewhere as soon as it enters the black hole, and then reappears on the other side, it feels like a magical scene.
The area is home to a rare breed of wild butterflies. The black spots on their whitish wings probably represent the Black Flat Mountain. It feels like an aerial train as these butterflies fly in a huge line. Wild life is also flourishing in the forests of senegalia modesta and wild olives in this area, in which deer, jackals, wolves, foxes, pigs, etc. are present in large numbers. Migratory birds from Siberia include wood pigeon, green parrots, terns, coots, cormorants and rows of herons.
The two ends of the beautiful garland of seven railway tunnels are bounded by the ancient stations of Kanjur and Jhalar. At the eastern end, Kanjur railway station is reminiscent of the Victorian era, with the platform in green mountain embracing commuters with outstretched arms. Kanjoor is named after beautiful, a soft type of limestone that is abundant in the area.
At the western end of the tunnels is the beautiful station of Jhalar, which is 1.5 km away from a village called Jhalar, the name of which the station has been derived from have moved.
The amazing tunnels of the black rock mountain are like sisters who hold the eternal beauty of this valley with four moons. The mountains and forest provide beautiful scenery. Dam water is available for water sports. If tourists are invited here, people will surely be happy to discover this hidden resort. Hotels and restaurants should be opened here for students. Annual walk competitions can be conducted by giving incentives and in this way it will help to gain awareness about the historical heritage of our country and the revenue of the Railway Department will also increase reasonably.