Char Dham Railway

Railway line in Uttarakhand, India

  • Start at Doiwala for Yamunotri and Gangotri routes,
    Start at Karnaprayag for Kedarnath and Badrinath routes
  • End at Palar for Yamunotri,
    End at Maneri for Gangotri,
    End at Sonprayag for Kedarnath route,
    End at Joshimath for Badrinath route
Websitehttp://www.indianrailways.gov.inServiceSystemBroad GaugeServicesTwo separate Y-fork railways with a total of four individual routesOperator(s)Indian RailwaysTechnicalLine length327 km (203 mi)Track length327 km (203 mi)Track gauge1,676 mm (5 ft 6.0 in)Electrification25kV OHEOperating speed110 kmphHighest elevation1,733 m (5,686 ft)

The Char Dham Railway, the Indian Railways's under construction twin railway lines under Char Dham Pariyojana project by connecting the holiest places of Hinduism called Chota Char Dham, from the existing Doiwala railway station near Dehradun to Gangotri and Yamunotri via a fork at Uttarkashi and another set of twin rail links from the upcoming railway station at Karnaprayag to Kedarnath and Badrinath via a fork at Saikot. The line is also of strategic military importance and has been designated a national project.[1][2]

Railway routes

Existing railheads

At present, the relevant railway lines are as follows:

Proposed new lines

The Char Dham Railway has two different Y-shaped railways, with total of the following four individual rail lines:

Strategic importance

Once this railway line is completed, India-China border will be closer to the rest of India by railways. The time taken to reach the strategic border military stations from Delhi will be reduced by providing safe and quick mode of public transport for personnel and equipment.[1]

Challenges

After the Konkan Railway, Hassan–Mangalore line and Jammu–Baramulla line, this line will be the most challenging railway project in Indian Railways due to mountainous terrain, a large number of tunnels and high bridges and severe cold weather in flood, landslide and earthquake prone high altitude mountainous area.[1][2]

Current status

Char Dham Railway project's 327 km long construction, costing 43,292 crore (USD $6.6 billion), began with the foundation stone laying and commencement of ₹120 crore Final Location Survey (FSL) in May 2017 by the Union Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu.[1][2] In January 2018, reconnaissance survey was complete, and final survey using airborne electromagnetic technique was underway by Turkish-Ukrainian company, which will be completed in 2 years, after which track laying would begin in December 2019. As of July, 2020 New Rishikesh railway station is ready and operational. Bridge over Chandrabhaga river is being laid. Also a bridge over Alaknanda river in Tehri is under construction. Both these bridges will be ready by 2021 as per plan. Land for all railway stations is acquired and work is going on in small phases over the entire route.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Chardham to get rail connectivity; Indian Railways pilgrimage linking project to cost Rs 43.29k crore, India.com, 12-May-2017
  2. ^ a b c Railway minister lays foundation stone for final location survey on char dham route, India Times news, 13-May-2017
  3. ^ a b c d e f Good news for Chardham rail line, approved budget for this big work, Live Hindustan, 18 January 2018.
  4. ^ 采编 (26 November 2005). "中印边境自卫反击作战史". 中国国防资讯网. Archived from the original on 26 June 2009. Retrieved 26 November 2005.
  5. ^ a b Achilles Heel in India's Border Defence with China!, Indian Defence Review, 20 June 2017.
  6. ^ After 24 years of work, strategic military outpost near India-China border connected with motorable road, Times of India, 11 Nov 2016.
  7. ^ Coming soon: India’s longest railway tunnel on Rishikesh–Karnaprayag route, Hindustan Times news, 19-Sept-2016
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