The Rishikesh-Karanprayag rail link project, aimed at connecting Char Dham shrines, faces a two-year delay due to unpredictable geology. 70% of tunnelling work is done, and track-laying will start soon. The project has an initial cost of Rs 16,216 crore, which also stated to go up.
The Rishikesh–Karnaprayag line is an under-construction railway line, which will run from Yog Nagari Rishikesh railway station in Rishikesh to Karnaprayag.
It is Indian Railways’ ambitious Char Dham project to connect the Char Dham pilgrimage of Uttarakhand. The line is also part of an Indian geostrategic initiative of PM Modi government 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 Central Government’s PRAGATI (Pro Active Governance and Timely Implementation) portal by PM Narendra Modi.
The survey of this project began in 1996 but due to political reasons the work began finally in 2015 under the leadership of Narendra Modi led NDA government.
The line will serve pilgrims and local residents, and will be able to rapidly move troops to the India-China border.
The Rishikesh railway station (RKSH) is in the city, and the railway line could not be extended through densely-populated areas. A new railway line was built from the Virbhadra station to the new Yog Nagari Rishikesh railway station (YNRK) and was inaugurated by PM Modi in 2020.
The Rishikesh–Karnaprayag route begins at Yog Nagari Rishikesh and ends at Karnaprayag. The project will reduce travel time between Rishikesh and Karnaprayag from 6-7 hours to about 2 hours. The road distance between Rishikesh to Karanprayag is about 172 km, which will be reduced to 125 km.
After construction of this rail line the tourist will directly reach Karnprayag and from there Badrinath and Kedarnath dham. It will also reduce the jam problem in Yog Nagri Rishikesh during the peak tourist season. The Garhwal people will also be benefitted by this project and some new cities will develop as railway stations.
The line will have 12 stations, 17 tunnels and 35 bridges, and was earlier expected to be completed by 2024-25. But due to Himalayan rocks, the proposed completion time may be extended to December 2026, sources said.
The stations which will be included in the railway lines are Yog Nagari Rishikesh in Dehradun, Shivpuri and Byasi in Tehri, Devprayag and Dungripanth (Dhari devi) in Pauri, Srinagar in Tehri, Rudraprayag and Gholtir in Rudraprayag district, and Gaucher and Karanprayag in Chamoli district.
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