Rishikesh-Karanprayag project

Quietly but surely, the Indian Railways has started work to counter China’s world-feted 1,140-km Qinghai-Tibet line, built at a cost of $4.2 billion.

The Railway Ministry has finally allocated Rs 40 crore in the year 2010-11 out of the estimated project cost of Rs 4,295.30 crore for the new rail line connecting Rishikesh, in the foothills of the Himalayas, to Karanprayag in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. In the second phase, the proposed line would extend up to Mana (height 3,150 metres approx), beyond Badrinath near the China border.

The sanction for the long-pending Rishikesh-Karanprayag project was given by the Railway Board after it got the status of National Project, with all the funding to be done under the auspice of the Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs (CCEA). The announcement in this regard was made in the last Budget session of Parliament. The board had earlier rejected the feasibility of this line as being commercially unviable since the internal rate of return (IRR) was found to be very low.

The proposed railway line between Rishikesh and Karanprayag would mean coming true of the dream project to run a rail track parallel to the route taken by the Ganga from its celestial abode in the Himalayas to the ocean at Gangasagar in West Bengal. As of now, there is an indirect link between Rishikesh and Howrah, but beyond Rishikesh the treacherous mountain terrain is approachable only by road.

Till early part of the last century, the shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri — the Char Dhams of the Garhwal Himalayas — could be reached only by trekking through mountain paths. In the first half of the 20th century, the British built motorable roads. These were opened to pilgrim traffic in 1934. Rishikesh became the popular gateway to lofty mountains of the Garhwal Himalayas. The first segments of road were Rishikesh-Tehri-Dharasu, Rishikesh-Devprayag-Kirtinagar and Kotdwara-Srinagar-Chamoli.

Since the proposed line would run parallel to the flow of Ganga, it would be an engineering to marvel to see how the several confluences of the river’s tributaries are negotiated. The Rishikesh-Karanprayag rail line will be 150-km-long, a good 25 km shorter than the road distance. It will traverse through the districts of Dehradun, Tehri, Rudraprayag and Chamoli. The line will facilitate more comfortable and faster travel between Rishikesh and Karanprayag by reducing the pressure on road traffic. It will also allow outstation pilgrims easier access to the Kedarnath and Badrinath shrines.

The Ganga comes into existence at Devprayag with the coming together of two major tributaries – the Bhagirathi and the Alaknanda. While Bhagirathi river descends from the Gomukh glacier above Gangotri in Uttarkashi district, the Alaknanda descends at Mana.

Alaknanda river starts at the foot of the Satopanth and Bhagirath Kharak glaciers, near Tibet. The flow from these glaciers takes the shape of a river at Keshavprayag, near Mana, just above the shrine of Badrinath, where it is joined by the Saraswati. The river flows approximately 229 km through the Alaknanda valley, where it is joined by Dhauliganga (Vishnuprayag – 1,372 metres), Nandakini (Nandprayag – 914 metres), Pindar (Karanprayag – 788 metres) and Mandakini Rudraprayag). It meets the Bhagirathi at Devprayag (618 metres), where Ganga river is formed.

The Alaknanda is believed to have split off the celestial Ganga when it descended from Heaven.

The rail link from Rishikesh joins the Doon-Howrah line at Haridwar. The Doon-Howrah line, which is more than a century old, runs through the Gangetic plain on the north side of the river before it crosses the Ganga at Varanasi and reaches Mughalsarai, probably the busiest junction in North India. The total distance from Rishikesh to Howrah is 1,529 km.

The first survey for the Rishikesh-Karanprayag rail line was done in 1919 on the initiative of then Deputy Commissioner of Garhwal JM Clay. The second survey was done in 1996 and the project was not found financially viable. In 2009, the Railway Ministry rejected the project again on the same ground. After that, the Union Government decided to take up the line’s construction as a National Project, considering its importance strategically and for the region’s socio-economic development. The project is likely to be completed by 2019.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/258609/Faith-rides-to-hill-shrines-on-new-rail-line.html

Quietly ??

Its a good move though, but the way how IR works, it will take 20 more years. Look at whats happening to the Srinagar line.

1. is this a joke Rs 40 crore only allotted?????

2. This rail route is much need to counter china and it will provide development in that area.

3. But, I'm sure this project will not come completed before 2030.

4. Soon western feeded NGO's will come up they will agitate, file PIL and then slow pace of railway's work culture will kill it.

Uttarakhand to have rail link from Rishikesh to Karanprayag

Source (http://hillpost.in/2011/09/17/uttarakhand-to-have-rail-link-from-rishikesh-to-karanprayag/30925/latest-news/bhatt)
People of Uttarakhand, where the Indian Railways just touches the foot hills of the Himalayas, may like the residents of Jammu and Kashmir, soon get the privilege of traveling by train, atleast on the Rishikesh Karanprayag stretch, with the Railways having sanctioned a sum of Rs 8000 crores for laying a railway line to link the two places in the next five years.

It may be recalled that the railway lines just touch the foothills of the Himalays in the nascent Uttarakhand state. Dehra Dun and Kotdwara are the two stations that feed the Garhwal division of the state, while in the Kumaon divisions the last station is Kathgodam, which caters to the Nainital region. Though there have been numerous demands in the past many years for improving connectivity in the hilly tracts of the state, but the tracks did not move an inch from where the British had left them.

Sources in the Railways here said that it had not only been decided to lay a railway line between Rishikesh and Karanprayag, but a sum of Rs 800 crores had also been sanctioned for the proposed 128 kms railway track. Incidentally, Rishikesh is the sacred township where the waters of the Ganga finish their meandering torrents in the hills and begin the more slow places journey in the plains. Karanprayag is the confluence of the Bhagirathi and Pindar rivers. However, it is at Devprayag that the Bhagirathi and Bhilangana meet to form the Ganga and is located downstream of Karanprayag.

“The proposed railway line has been handed over to the engineering wing of the Railways, RVNL, (Railway Vikas Nigam Ltd) and is likely to be completed in five years after the initial survey is undertaken of the region. The 128 kms stretch is likely to have 81 tunnels and 12 railway stations have been proposed on the railway line but the main stay is going to be a bridge which will be at a height of 65 metres from the river bed”, they claimed.

Asserting that the Uttarakhand government had been asked to start the process of aquiring the required land for thetrack, sources said that the forest and environment department had also been approached at the centre for giving the required clearances for felling some trees that fall in the proposed line along which the railway track will be laid.

Asked whether there was any opposition by environmentalists for laying the proposed railway track as it could be hazardous for the fragile ecology of the young Himalayan range, they said that as of now there was no opposition to the project, but one could not rule it out once work started on the ground level. “But we are hopeful that taking into consideration the benefits that the people stand to gain once the railway line is laid, there may not be any opposition which could stall the project”, they contended.

1. is this a joke Rs 40 crore only allotted?????

2. This rail route is much need to counter china and it will provide development in that area.

3. But, I'm sure this project will not come completed before 2030.

4. Soon western feeded NGO's will come up they will agitate, file PIL and then slow pace of railway's work culture will kill it.


Answers-

1. money is alloted for surveying purposes and soil testing in the first phase.

2. I dont think itll counter china. the only key project countering china is when the bogibeel bridge is connected and pasighat (arunachal) is brought on rail network. Right now RKSH- karnaprayag takes little over 5 hrs by UPSRTC. onwards (to mana) would take 10 more hrs (max) and railways cant do the around 460 km ghat section in less than 10 hrs (means well-stretched overnight from delhi-mana (around 700 km). But yes surely itll bring development and much-needed connectivity to these places.

3. atleast itll get completed by 2030, that is much better than what would have been the situation if the project had not been planned.

4. If you say its the slow work culture, see now how in 6 months gauge conversion of rangiya-murkonselek is achieved. Its not a joke to draw a line from rishikesh and karnaprayag and saying i can do it faster than the railways.

:bash:
Please note that

# avoid bringing china in this issue. if you say china can control the rain and rivers, then why do you compare man with god?

# criticising a project before its actually done ... take a project yourself in India and make it on time. Il adore you.

SOME THOUGHTS & ESTIMATES ON THE TOPIC-

# terrain is almost the same as katra-qazigund of kashmir rail

# theres no place to take the rail out of rishikesh :P and acquiring land there itself will be a great issue. :ohno:

# the 65 m tall bridge would most probably come on Ganga (called as bhagirathi there) at the sangam of Ganga and Alaknanda at Deoprayag.

# there needs to be a lot of tree-cutting and p.way clearance to be done. Stations, needing more space also seem to get little and hence would be just single line stopover stations in some cases.

# the 12 stations would MOST PROBABLY be-
Rishikesh
Shivpuri uttarakhand rd
simsoda bharpour
Devprayag
Bakrora
Pauri garhwal
bacheli road
Srinagar Uttarakhand
Hayiri
Rudraprayag road
Nagrasu
Gauchar
Karnprayag

^^ 128 kms stretch is likely to have 81 tunnels :eek:

Answers-

1. money is alloted for surveying purposes and soil testing in the first phase.

2. I dont think itll counter china. the only key project countering china is when the bogibeel bridge is connected and pasighat (arunachal) is brought on rail network. Right now RKSH- karnaprayag takes little over 5 hrs by UPSRTC. onwards (to mana) would take 10 more hrs (max) and railways cant do the around 460 km ghat section in less than 10 hrs (means well-stretched overnight from delhi-mana (around 700 km). But yes surely itll bring development and much-needed connectivity to these places.

3. atleast itll get completed by 2030, that is much better than what would have been the situation if the project had not been planned.

Lets wait and see how much time it will take.

4. If you say its the slow work culture, see now how in 6 months gauge conversion of rangiya-murkonselek is achieved. Its not a joke to draw a line from rishikesh and karnaprayag and saying i can do it faster than the railways.

According to Home Minister on Saturday , April 9 , 2011 :

"Rangia-Murkongselek gauge conversion project would be commissioned by 2014."
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110409/jsp/northeast/story_13829779.jsp


So how its done????? can we have some news links???

The Rangia-Murkongselek metre gauge railway line which was laid in 1962 during the Chinese aggression for transportation and mobilisation of security forces to the Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh
http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=aug2911/at09


If Rangia-Murkongselek metre gauge can be build in war time when India was poor, with less technologies, with less expertise and lesser infrastructure to trasport construction material.

Then Even if its done in 6 months is no big achievements as it was done in the past i.e. in 1962 in few months.



# avoid bringing china in this issue. if you say china can control the rain and rivers, then why do you compare man with god?

# criticising a project before its actually done ... take a project yourself in India and make it on time. Il adore you.

a.) I stand by what i have said china due to the advantage of occuping heights in Tibet have consctucted many lakes and dams so that in case of war with India china can cause flash floods and our Roads, airports and Rail network will washout.

Apart from it they have dedicated division level forces in PLA for manipulating with snow/rain cloud seeding etc.

And you are wise enough to know that water will flow from higher areas of Tibet to lower areas of India.


b.) You and me can't dictate what should be discussed or not the thing is that if a projects have relation to some strategic point of view it should be discussed in length.

c.) What do you think why govt. is suddenly woken up and racing to complete roads and rail projects in North east or HP or Uttrakhand if you really think that its not related to china then plz have a coffee break.

d.) And for take a project and do it type of argument its lame bro is this what best one can offer???

We have govt. and agencies for it we pay them for it.

Police can't say if ur not satisfied with us just guard urself or do the policing, its weird.

@ anujkb

bro,

Dr Manmohan Singh have cleared that Rangiya-Murkongselek gauge conversion project in September 1-15, 2007 when lalu was railway minister.

See the news urself.

http://www.nenanews.com/ANE%20Sept.%201-15,%2007/mj1.htm

so how can you say 6 months flat?????

^^ no, i meant to say the gauge closed on 1 sept. and itll open by mid-feb.

See the way the gauge conversion progresses with minimal upsetting of communication.

Lets wait and see how much time it will take.



According to Home Minister on Saturday , April 9 , 2011 :



So how its done????? can we have some news links???

its written in the same link what you have given-

" Sources at NF Railway said all train services along Rangia-Murkongselek route have been suspended for the next five months from September 1 to January 31 next year for gauge conversion work. "

when funds were given they didnt sit idle since 2007.:bash: they built new bridges wherever required over the sections and replaced sleepers below existing (working) rail line with dual gauge sleepers (sometimes with gauntlet tracks). ull get to know some idea from this Link. (http://www.nfrcon.org/tenders.asp)


If Rangia-Murkongselek metre gauge can be build in war time when India was poor, with less technologies, with less expertise and lesser infrastructure to trasport construction material.

Then Even if its done in 6 months is no big achievements as it was done in the past i.e. in 1962 in few months.

IT was built as an emergency line and sadly its been kept working for this long and hence a necessity for a good, permenant line over this region (which is being built).



a.) I stand by what i have said china due to the advantage of occuping heights in Tibet have consctucted many lakes and dams so that in case of war with India china can cause flash floods and our Roads, airports and Rail network will washout.

Apart from it they have dedicated division level forces in PLA for manipulating with snow/rain cloud seeding etc.

And you are wise enough to know that water will flow from higher areas of Tibet to lower areas of India.


b.) You and me can't dictate what should be discussed or not the thing is that if a projects have relation to some strategic point of view it should be discussed in length.

c.) What do you think why govt. is suddenly woken up and racing to complete roads and rail projects in North east or HP or Uttrakhand if you really think that its not related to china then plz have a coffee break.

d.) And for take a project and do it type of argument its lame bro is this what best one can offer???

We have govt. and agencies for it we pay them for it.

Police can't say if ur not satisfied with us just guard urself or do the policing, its weird.[/QUOTE]

Source (http://hillpost.in/2011/10/31/sonia-to-lay-uttarakhand-railway-line-foundation-stone-on-nov-9/33759/politics/bhatt)
Sonia to lay Uttarakhand railway line foundation stone on Nov 9


Dehra Dun : UPA chairperson and AICC president Sonia Gandhi will lay the foundation stone of the proposed 125 kms Rishikesh-Karanprayag railway line in Uttarakhand on November 9. The foundation stone will be laid at Gochar in the Garhwal hills.

Earlier, the foundation stone was to be laid on November 5, but as the AICC president will not be able to reach Gochar on the said date because of earlier commitments, the date was postponed. Gochar, incidentally, has the largest flat tract in the region, and is also used for the landing of choppers during emergency.

Meanwhile, there is a lot of excitement in the state over the laying of the foundation stone, for railway lines just touch the peripheries of this infant state. The railway stations, which are at the entry of the state include Dehra dun, Kotdwara and Rishikesh, which hardly serve even a miniscule percentage of the hill population.

Cutting across party lines, political leaders of various hues admitted that November 9 would be a red letter day in the history of the state, when the foundation stone for the railway line is laid. Incidentally, this day also happens to be the statehood day.

Meanwhile sources in the Railways said that new technique would be used in laying the railway line, which would pass through low and middle Himalayas and not actually traverse the higher reaches. Some of the technology that has been used in the Beijing-Lhasa railway line is likely to be incorporated in this railway line, they added.

They said that the railway line would be laid by the Railway Development Corporation Ltd and would also generate employment at the local level for the unemployed youth of the region.

^^ :cheers:

Source (http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111102/dun.htm#7)

Sonia Gandhi has ‘agreed to lay stone of rly line
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 1
Satpal Maharaj, Lok Sabha MP from Garhwal and Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence, in a statement released here today said that Congress President Sonia Gandhi had agreed to lay the foundation stone of the of the railway line from Rishikesh to Karnprayag on November 9 at Gauchar in Chamoli district.

Union Minister for Railways Dinesh Trivedi would accompany Sonia Gandhi.

Regarding objections being raised by ruling BJP leaders in the state to the Congress President laying the foundation stone, he stated that it showed the narrow mentality of the BJP leaders. Sonia Gandhi was also the Chairperson of the National Advisory Council with Cabinet status which was a constitutional post.

He said that respecting the sentiments of Uttarakhand people he had been making efforts to get clearance for this railway line for the past 15 years. Satpal Maharaj had in 1996 as Union Minister of State for Railways inaugurated the survey of the railway line.

He stated that the railway line would bring about development, help stop migration from the hills and promote tourism in the state.

http://zeenews.india.com/news/uttarakhand/traditional-music-to-welcome-sonia-in-uttarakhand_739485.html
Traditional music to welcome Sonia in Uttarakhand

Dehra Dun: It will be traditional music all the way for Congress president Sonia Gandhi when she visits Uttarakhand on November 9 to lay the foundation of a rail project.

"Beating of drums and playing of traditional musical instruments will be the highlight of the grand reception to be accorded to Gandhi when she arrives at Gauchar for laying the foundation of Rishikesh-Karanprayag rail project," Congress MP Satpal Maharaj said here today.


Significantly, her visit to the hill state will take place after a gap of five years.


The Congress president is also scheduled to kick off her party's campaign for the Assembly elections due early next year in the BJP-ruled state.

:banana::cheers::)

Best of luck to the people of Uttarakhand. It will boost the tourism, employment and services in Uttarakhand.

And its will be boost for military getting supplies near Tibet border.

I just hope that Indian railway build it in 5-6 years and its not a congress's election plan to get some votes in upcoming Uttarakhand elections:bash:

:banana::cheers::)

Best of luck to the people of Uttarakhand. It will boost the tourism, employment and services in Uttarakhand.

And its will be boost for military getting supplies near Tibet border.

I just hope that Indian railway build it in 5-6 years and its not a congress's election plan to get some votes in upcoming Uttarakhand elections:bash:

ofcourse i feel it s congress election plan.

this time cong in ua.

Garhwal rail project promises to be engineering marvel

It Will Provide Comfortable Access To Kedarnath And Badrinath Pilgrims

Mahendra Kumar Singh TNN



New Delhi: Once completed in about five years, the 125.09-km rail link between Rishikesh and Karanprayag promises to be an engineering marvel.
Touted as the dream project for the people of hilly and backward Uttarakhand, it will pass through treacherous terrains of the Himalayan range, connecting the Garhwal region to the rail network at Rishikesh.
Traversing through Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal and Chamoli districts, the alignment will facilitate more comfortable and faster travel between Rishikesh and Karanprayag besides easing the pressure on road traffic. It will allow pilgrims comfortable access to the Kedarnath and Badrinath shrines and provide connectivity to Devprayag, Rudraprayag and Karnprayag.
The project is also of strategic importance as the new track will be built near the Chinese border, where Beijing is augmenting its railway infrastructure in a big way.
The proposed line that would run parallel to the Ganges has to negotiate with several confluences of the river’s tributaries like Alaknanda, Bhagirathi and Mandakini.
The project, which will cost Rs 4295.3 crore, will boost Uttarakhand’s development, ensuring rail link near the Pindari glacier. It will give a substantial boost to adventure sports like river rafting and other water sports that could be a major source of economy for the state.
Rishikesh, Karnprayag, Srinagar, Rudraprayag and Devprayag will be the major stations on the route, according to the preliminary survey.
It is going to be a challenging job for the engineers of Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), the agency that will be executing the project. Altogether, there will be 128 bridges — 45 major and 83 minor ones. A viaduct of 535 meters between Sakni and Devprayag will be the longest bridge. There will be 19 tunnels, with more than one-km length and the longest one is 4.475 km between Sakni and Devprayag. About 58.64 km, or 46.65% will be covered through 81 tunnels, as per the survey.
According to RVNL’s managing director S C Agnihotri, the length of the tunnels may go up to 60%-70% as the agency is going for stereo satellite imaginary to develop 3D model of the entire terrain with 0.5 meter resolution. “We are also consulting IIT-Roorkee. This will help us to fix more accurate alignment,” Agnihotri told TOI.
RVNL was entrusted with the tough task after it constructed the longest rail bridge in the country at 4.62 km as part of an 8.6-km railway link, connecting Idapalli to Vallarpadam in Kochi.

Demand for Tanakpur-Bageshwar railway line resurfaces

Shishir Prashant / New Delhi/ Dehradun November 11, 2011, 0:06 IST

After the Rishikesh-Karanprayag rail project, the demand for another mega rail project in Kumaon region has resurfaced in Uttarakhand.

For the past few years, leaders from various parties in Kumaon region have been resorting to agitations, asking the Centre to start construction of the 154-km-long Bageshwar-Tanakpur rail line for better connectivity and development.

As per 2007 estimates, the cost of this rail project was Rs 2,371 crore. Railway officials claimed that the Planning Commission is now ready to allocate funds in the 12th Five Year Plan as further delay would lead to escalation of the project cost. :cheers:

A delegation of Congress party headed by Almora MP Pradip Tamta met Sonia Gandhi at New Delhi and urged her to look into the pending demand of the Bageshwar-Tanakpur rail link.

On the other hand, ruling BJP leaders have now locked horns with Congress leaders on the issue. “When Sonia Gandhi comes to Garhwal region, she must not ignore Kumaon region where a similar project is pending for several years now,” said the ruling BJP state president Bishan Singh Chufal.

The Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha has already passed a resolution urging the Centre to start construction work of both Bageshwar-Tanakpur and Rishikesh-Karanprayag rail links, said state parliamentary and planning minister Prakash Pant.

The ruling BJP leaders, who are gearing up for the Assembly polls by harping on the Lokayukta Bill, fear that Congress would take a political mileage through these rail projects.

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/demand-for-tanakpur-bageshwar-railway-line-resurfaces/455111/

TOI (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/-Garhwal-rail-plan-pilgrims-delight/articleshow/10698856.cms)

Garhwal rail plan pilgrims’ delight

NEW DELHI: Once completed in about five years, the 125.09-km rail link between Rishikesh and Karanprayag promises to be an engineering marvel. Touted as the dream project for the people of hilly and backward Uttarakhand, it will pass through treacherous terrains of the Himalayan range, connecting the Garhwal region to the rail network at Rishikesh.

Traversing through Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal and Chamoli districts, the alignment will facilitate more comfortable and faster travel between Rishikesh and Karanprayag besides easing the pressure on road traffic. It will allow pilgrims comfortable access to the Kedarnath and Badrinath shrines and provide connectivity to Devprayag, Rudraprayag and Karnprayag.

The project is also of strategic importance as the new track will be built near the Chinese border, where Beijing is augmenting its railway infrastructure in a big way.

The proposed line that would run parallel to the Ganges has to negotiate with several confluences of the river's tributaries like Alaknanda, Bhagirathi and Mandakini.

The project, which will cost Rs 4295.3 crore, will boost Uttarakhand's development, ensuring rail link near the Pindari glacier. It will give a substantial boost to adventure sports like river rafting and other water sports that could be a major source of economy for the state.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/rishikeshkarnprayag-rail-link-earthquake-prone/252055-3.html
Rishikesh-Karnprayag rail link earthquake prone: Railway official


New Delhi: The Indian Railways has ignored safety concerns in another project. The 125 km-long Rishikesh-Karnprayag rail link, inaugurated in November, 2011, has been red flagged by a railways chief engineer, Alok Verma, who has said that it was a disaster in waiting. He said that an all important geological study has not been done in an area that is in seismic zone 4 and is landslide prone.
In a letter to the railways, Verma wrote, "...Geological conditions will force changes in the alignment. This will result in safety hazards at tunnels and bridges." Verma also said that two-thirds of the alignment between Rishikesh and Karnprayag runs along fault lines.
Former Railway Board member SK Vij also said, "If the railway doesn't do a geological study, this area is in seismic zone 4 and is landslide prone. It will come to grief."
CNN-IBN also has the executive summary of the Rs 4,300 crore project in which the railways has accepted its mistake.
It says, "The area traversed by the proposed alignment is situated in a hilly terrain made up of rocky strata. The geological survey of this area has not been carried out."
Clearly the deadlines will not be met and escalation of costs cannot be ruled out. But yet again the big question is as to why is the Railways ignoring safety concerns in yet another project

Cheap political gimmick by congress just before Uttrakhand elections :bash::bash:

Now, no rail :bash:

At least build decent all weather 2//4 lane roads

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3550880.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home
Uttarakhand bids for Rishikesh-Karnprayag rail survey soon
Dehra Dun, June 20:

The last field survey for the much-awaited Rishikesh-Karnprayag rail project is likely to be completed in next couple of months and tenders for the same will be opened on June 29.

In a high-level meeting chaired by the Chief Minister, Mr Vijay Bahuguna, on Tuesday, the Director General of Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), which is the nodal agency for the project, said the estimated budget of the rail link was Rs 4,295.30 crore and a capable manpower with adequate expertise had been employed for it, an official release said.

A very high resolution stereo satellite imagery has been purchased from National Remote Sensing Centre in Hyderabad for the project, he said.

Mr Bahuguna described the 125.09 km rail link as a “dream project that would bring prosperity for the people living in hilly areas”.

He ordered the formation of a committee under the Chief Secretary for co-ordination between the State and RVNL.

Spanned over Dehra Dun, Tehri, Pauri and Chamoli districts, the project will pass through 128 bridges and 81 tunnels, covering Rishikesh, Devprayag, Srinagar, Rudraprayag and Karnprayag railway stations.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/article3550880.ece?homepage=true&ref=wl_home
Uttarakhand bids for Rishikesh-Karnprayag rail survey soon
Dehra Dun, June 20:

The last field survey for the much-awaited Rishikesh-Karnprayag rail project is likely to be completed in next couple of months and tenders for the same will be opened on June 29.

In a high-level meeting chaired by the Chief Minister, Mr Vijay Bahuguna, on Tuesday, the Director General of Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), which is the nodal agency for the project, said the estimated budget of the rail link was Rs 4,295.30 crore and a capable manpower with adequate expertise had been employed for it, an official release said.

A very high resolution stereo satellite imagery has been purchased from National Remote Sensing Centre in Hyderabad for the project, he said.

Mr Bahuguna described the 125.09 km rail link as a “dream project that would bring prosperity for the people living in hilly areas”.

He ordered the formation of a committee under the Chief Secretary for co-ordination between the State and RVNL.

Spanned over Dehra Dun, Tehri, Pauri and Chamoli districts, the project will pass through 128 bridges and 81 tunnels, covering Rishikesh, Devprayag, Srinagar, Rudraprayag and Karnprayag railway stations.

They should first decide its earthquake prone or not.

Or

Its just a prepoll gimmick of CM as he is going to contest as a MLA.