The Centre has completed a survey to extend rail connectivity to Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, while updating members on the progress of the sanctioned Rishikesh-Karnaprayag rail line project in Uttarakhand.
Replying to a question by BJP MPs Anil Baluni and Ajay Bhatt, Vaishnaw said three new rail lines covering a total length of 216 km in Uttarakhand have been sanctioned at a cost of Rs 40,384 crore. Of this, 16 km has been commissioned and Rs 19,898 crore has been spent up to March 2025.
“To provide rail connectivity to Chardham, Rishikesh-Karnaprayag new rail line project (125 km) has been sanctioned,” the minister said in a written reply.
He added, “To further extend the rail connectivity to Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath, survey has been completed. However, the project alignment lies near the main Central Thrust of Himalayas which is highly seismically active.”
Also read: Govt planning underground rail corridor to secure Northeast link
The alignment passes through Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal, Rudraprayag and Chamoli districts and will connect Devprayag and Karnaprayag with Rishikesh and the national capital.
The minister stated that the alignment predominantly runs through tunnels. “The project involves construction of 16 Main line tunnels of 104 km length and 12 Escape tunnels of about 98 km length. So far, main line tunnels of 99 km length and 9 Escape Tunnels of over 94 km length have been completed,” he said.
He also said the project includes 19 important or major bridges. “Eight out of 19 important/major bridges have also been completed. Works in balance bridges have also been taken up,” Vaishnaw added.
The Rishikesh-Karnaprayag rail line forms a key component of the Centre’s push to improve connectivity to the Char Dham pilgrimage circuit in the Himalayan state, while navigating complex geological and seismic challenges.
Follow us
