Char Dham Railway Project: Work On Rishikesh-Karnaprayag Rail Route Progresses Quickly

According to the Ministry of Railways, work on Rishikesh-Karnaprayag rail project is progressing quickly. It is part of the ambitious Chardham Railway Project in Uttarakhand.

The Chardham Railway Project is estimated to cost Rs 16,216 crore and will connect four pilgrimage sites in the hilly state, including Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri.

The Rishikesh-Karnaprayag rail project is critical to national security.

The Rishikesh-Karnaprayag rail project is being monitored on the central government's PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation) portal.

According to the Railway Ministry, there will be 12 train stations, 17 tunnels, and 18 bridges under the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag rail project.

Yog Nagari Rishikesh (385 m above mean sea level ) is the starting point and Karnaprayag (825 m above mean sea level) is the destination of the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag route.

A new rail line with a 125 km length is being built as part of this project.

Out of the 125 km rail route, 104 km will be underground; of those, 55 km are already complete.

A 125.20 km railway line connecting Rishikesh and Karnaprayag will stretch across five districts of the state: Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal, Rudraprayag and Chamoli.

State-owned Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) is executing this 125 km long railway line.

Devprayag, Srinagar, Gauchar, Rudraprayag, and Karnaprayag are the most important towns on the route.

Yog Nagari Rishikesh, Dehradun district, Tehri, Srinagar, Shivpuri ,Byasi Gadwall, Devprayag, Dungripanth, Rudraprayag, Gholtir, Gaucher and Karanprayag are a few of the stations that will be included in Rishikesh-Karnaprayag rail route.

A bridge over the Alaknanda is currently in its last stages of construction as part of the project.

It is a 125-meter-long towering, boring steel arch bridge. This bridge would facilitate access between Karnaprayag Railway Station and NH 58.

The longest railway tunnel in India, spanning 14 km between Devprayag and Janasu, will be part of the ambitious 125 km Rishikesh-Karnaprayag broad gauge line.

The rail line is also a part of an Indian geostrategic plan to develop infrastructure along the China-India border in an effort to restrain Chinese expansion.

The government will be able to quickly send troops to the India-China border in the event of any unfavourable incidents, reports Financial Express.

The ambitious hill rail link project criss-crossing Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri, Rudrapryag and Chamoli, aims to provide last-mile connectivity between Rishikesh and Karnaprayag.

After the project is finished, the current seven-hour drive between Rishikesh and Karnaprayag will only take two hours.

According to the Railways, once completed, the new rail line will boost the socio, economic and cultural development in the region.

By the end of December 2024, the project is anticipated to be finished.