New Delhi, February 11 A new railway line project, Rishikesh-Karnaprayag, has been approved to provide railway connectivity to the Char Dham pilgrimage sites. The government also announced that surveys have been completed to extend railway connectivity to Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath.
Responding to questions from BJP MPs Anil Baluni and Ajay Bhatt, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that three new railway lines, totaling 216 km and costing Rs 40,384 crore, have been approved in Uttarakhand. Of these, 16 km has been commissioned, and Rs 19,898 crore has been spent up to March 2025.
"To provide railway connectivity to the Char Dham, the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag new railway line project (125 km) has been approved," the minister stated in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
"To further extend railway connectivity to Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath, surveys have been completed. However, the project alignment is near the main Himalayan thrust zone, which is highly seismically active," he added.
Vaishnaw stated that the project alignment passes through Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal, Rudrapryag, and Chamoli districts of Uttarakhand and will provide railway connectivity to Devprayag and Karnaprayag, which are important religious and tourist destinations, along with Rishikesh and the national capital.
"The alignment of the project primarily passes through tunnels. The project involves the construction of 16 main line tunnels, each 104 km long, and 12 escape tunnels, each about 98 km long. So far, 99 km of the main line tunnels and 9 escape tunnels, each over 94 km long, have been completed," he said.
Vaishnaw provided an update on the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag new railway line project, stating that it involves the construction of 16 main line tunnels, each 104 km long, and 12 escape tunnels, each about 98 km long.
"So far, 99 km of the main line tunnels and 9 escape tunnels, each over 94 km long, have been completed," Vaishnaw said.
"The project also involves the construction of 19 important/major bridges. Eight out of the 19 important/major bridges have also been completed. Work on the remaining bridges has also begun," he added.