Soon, devotees can enjoy hassle-free train journeys to Char Dham! Indian Railways is all set to a lay a railway line of 327 kilometres, connecting Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath of Char Dham, via Dehradun and Karanprayag in the state of Uttarakhand. Earlier, it was reported that the PSU, Rail Vikas Nigam Limited was entrusted with the task of undertaking the final survey for Indian Railways’ connectivity to Char Dham. The project is expected to cost around Rs 43,292 crore. According to details shared by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, the 327 km long rail line will pass through Dehradun, Pauri, Tehri Garhwal, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Uttarkashi.
The foundation stone for the Final Location Survey for Single Broad Gauge Line Rail Connectivity was laid by former Railway Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, on 13 May 2017, at Badrinath. According to the Railway Ministry, as alignment will pass through the Himalayas’ rugged mountainous terrain, Indian Railways has to meet the challenges of rail line construction integrating the unique challenges of the terrain as well as adverse geology along with limits of capacity, load, speed and safety. Besides, unique spiritual significance, the four Dhams have their varied and distinctive elevation levels.
According to the Railway Ministry, the Yamunotri tracing the origin of Yamuna is located at 3293 metres above Mean Sea Level. On the other hand, the Gangotri tracing the origin of Ganga is situated at 3408 metres above Mean Sea Level. The Kedarnath is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, located at 3583 metres above Mean Sea Level, while Badrinath is located at 3133 metres above Mean Sea Level. According to the Union Minister, once the development of this project is complete, not only the journey to Chardham will become easier, but the possibilities of development in the hilly areas will increase as well