PremiumThe project aims to provide last-mile connectivity between Rishikesh and Karnaprayag. Once completed, the new rail line will boost the socio, economic and cultural development in the region, the Railway Ministry said
Listen to this article |
Despite the geographical challenges of the tough terrains of Uttarakhand, the Indian Railways is trying to expedite its ambitious project to build a new rail line between Rishikesh and Karnaprayag which is also a part of the Char Dham project connecting four major pilgrimages in the state—Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.
The project aims to provide last-mile connectivity between Rishikesh and Karnaprayag. Once completed, the new rail line will boost the socio, economic and cultural development in the region, the Railway Ministry said in a tweet.
About the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag rail line project
The Rishikesh-Karnaprayag rail line project is about 125.20 km long. It will have 12 stations, 35 bridges, and 17 tunnels along with 105.47 km (84.24%) of the track. The rail line will also include a 15.1 km tunnel between Devprayag and Lachmoli. The Rishikesh-Karnaprayag rail line project is expected to be completed by 2024-25.
The railway line will run across 5 districts of Uttarakhand—Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal, Rudraprayag, and Chamoli and will connect Devprayag, Srinagar, Rudraprayag, Gauchar, and Karnaprayag. It will also cut the travel time between Rishikesh and Karnaprayag from 7 hours to just over 2 hours.
The project's estimated cost is ₹16,216 crore. An outlay of ₹4,200 crore has been allocated in the financial year 2021-22.
The line is also part of an Indian geostrategic initiative to build infrastructure along the India-China border to discourage Chinese expansion. The project is considered to be of national strategic importance and is being tracked on the Union government’s PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation) portal.