One of Indian Railways' most ambitious mountain infrastructure projects, the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag rail line in Uttarakhand, is now expected to be completed by 2028, according to Railway Board Chairman and CEO Satish Kumar.
Originally sanctioned in 2016 to link key religious and remote areas of Uttarakhand, the project represents a major engineering feat.
The 125 km line is being executed by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL). It includes the country's longest transportation tunnel, stretching 14.58 km, and a route that runs largely underground through challenging terrain.
Work on the project began in earnest after land acquisition and forest clearances were secured, with RVNL taking charge in 2020.
Earlier timelines had targeted completion by December 2026, but the revised deadline reflects the complexities involved in executing such a large-scale project in mountainous conditions.
Speaking at RVNL's 21st Annual Day event, Kumar expressed confidence in the company's capabilities and reiterated the importance of timely delivery.
"It will be a boon for Uttarakhand," he said, while praising the organisation's operational standards and urging continued focus on speed, innovation, safety, and quality.
Providing a detailed update in Parliament, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted the scale of tunnelling involved.
"The project involves the construction of 16 mainline tunnels of 104 km length, and 12 escape tunnels of about 98 km length. So far, mainline tunnels of 99 km length and 09 Escape Tunnels of over 94 km length have been completed," he said.
He further noted, "To increase the progress of works, 8 Adits (horizontal openings) in various tunnels were also identified. These adits created additional work faces of tunnel excavation, expediting early completion of long tunnels. Works of all 8 Adits (5 km) have also been completed."
On bridge construction, Vaishnaw added, "The project also involves construction of 19 Important/Major Bridges. 8 out of 19 Important/Major Bridges have also been completed. Works on balance bridges have also been taken up."
Once operational, the line will pass through five districts - Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal, Rudraprayag, and Chamoli, improving access to pilgrimage centres such as Devprayag and Karnaprayag, while strengthening connectivity with Rishikesh and Delhi.
Please click here to add Swarajya as your preferred and trusted news source on Google