Minister of State for Railways Smt. Darshana Vikram Jardosh met the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Sh. Pushkar Singh Dhami yesterday in Dehradun. Both leaders discussed in detail the status of various ongoing railway projects in the state. This included electrification of sections, doubling of already existing lines, station redevelopment plans and new line projects.
- Sh. Ashutosh Gangal, General Manager Northern Railway, Divisional Railway Manager, Moradabad, Sh. Ajay Nandan, senior officials of Northern Railway were also present on the occasion.
- Elaborating about the meeting the two Ministers said that emphasis is on increasing the presence of railways in Uttarakhand.
- The rail connectivity to different locations in the Himalayan state will make travel much safer, economical and comfortable.
- Railways being environment friendly and an all-weather mass transportation system will be ideal for the ecologically sensitive region.
- This will boost the economy of the region and provide employment, marketing and business opportunities to the people.
- The Minister visited the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag Project site ahead of Rishikesh today. She saw the tunnel boring work there.
- Reviewing the status of work on the Broad-gauge Rail line, the MoSR said that work is going on at a fast pace and all efforts are to complete the prestigious project on time.
- She also added that along with the rail project the Railway is also building roads which is providing connectivity to several far-flung villages in the hills.
- On the Chardham circuit in Uttarakhand, the Minister said that preliminary studies have been encouraging.
- Further surveys are being conducted by the competent experts to ascertain the feasibility features of the project.
- She also elaborated that several stations in Uttarakhand are to be redeveloped and fortified with new amenities.
- This will be helpful for the tourists and pilgrims visiting the state.
Chardham Project:
- Purpose: For Connecting the four major Dhams in Uttarakhand state; Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath by Railways.
Present Status:
- Reconnaissance Engineering Survey has been done and report submitted
- Final Location Survey is ongoing to study feasibility of the project and to propose alignment.
- Rishikesh – Karanprayag Project
About the Project:
- The new Broad Gauge (BG) Railway line between Rishikesh and Karnaprayag is a very important development project in the state of Uttarakhand.
- The objective of providing Rail link between Rishikesh and Karnaprayag is for facilitating easy access to pilgrimage centres situated in the state of Uttarakhand, connecting new trade centres, development of backward areas and to serve the population living in the area.
- It is expected that such a link will result in a considerable reduction in travel time and cost.
- This rail link will provide opportunities for industrial development, cottage industry in the area, boost the economy and tourism prospects in the state.
- The proposed railway line will connect important towns like Devprayag, Srinagar, Rudraprayag, Gauchar and Karnaprayag through 5 districts of Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal, Rudraprayag and Chamoli.
Parameters Details:
- Total Length-125.10 Km
- Total Stations-12
- Tunnels-17
- Total Length of Main Tunnels-105.47 Km
- Total Length of Escape Tunnels-98.54 Km
- Longest tunnel 14.58 Km
- Percentage of route in Tunnel- 83.08%
- Major Bridges -18
- Speed Potential-100 Kmph
Present Status of Works:
- Tunnel Construction works of all 17 tunnels have commenced.
- 16 Tunnels are planned by Drill & Blast method due to complex geology.
- Longest Tunnel T8 (14.5 Km) planned with Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM).
- Design and manufacturing commenced.
- 13.70 Km Tunnel excavation completed.
- Working at 56 tunnel faces at present.
- 79 faces will be opened by March 2022, 18 Major Bridges, two ROB, one RUB and 34 minor bridges.
- Longest Bridge (at Srinagar Br-9) – 489 m long.
- Tallest bridge (at Gauchar) – 50 m high.
- Design of all bridges completed.
- Construction works are in progress.
- One Major Bridge (Br-1 Chandrabhaga) completed.
- One ROB & one RUB opened to road traffic.
Expenditure:
- Proposed Cost of Project – Rs. 24,659 Cr.
- Expenditure up to 31.03.2021 – Rs. 3,678 Cr.
Source: Northern Railway-Update | Image Credit: Northern Railway
