Rishikesh–Karnaprayag Railway

The Rishikesh–Karnaprayag Railway, runs from Yog Nagari Rishikesh railway station in Rishikesh to Karnaprayag. It is Indian Railways' proposed route for the Char Dham Railway to connect to the Chota Char Dham. It is geostrategic initiative of India to counter China's expansion.[1][2]

Rishikesh–Karnaprayag Rail Line
Overview
SystemBroad gauge
StatusUnderconstruction
LocaleUttarakhand
TerminiYog Nagari Rishikesh railway station
Karnaprayag
Stations12
ServicesSingle track
Websitehttp://www.indianrailways.gov.in
Operation
OwnerRail Vikas Nigam Limited
Operator(s)Indian Railways
Technical
Line length125 km (78 mi)
Track length125 km (78 mi)
Track gauge1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
Minimum radius440 m (1,440 ft)
Operating speed100 km/h (62 mph)
Highest elevation1,451 m (4,760 ft)

Railway routes

The old Rishikesh railway station (RKSH) is located inside the town, so the railway line could not be extended through densely inhabited areas. Therefore, a new railway line was built from Virbhadra railway station and a new highly-facilitated Yog Nagari Rishikesh railway station (YNRK) was built in 2020. The 125 km long Rishikesh–Karnaprayag route starts at Yog Nagari Rishikesh railway station at 385m AMSL and ends at Karnaprayag 825m AMSL.[3] The ₹16,200 crore project will reduce Rishikesh to Karnaprayag travel time from 7 hours to 2.1 hours. It will have 16 bridges and 105 km or 85% of the project inside tunnels. A 15.1 km tunnel, reported to be the country's longest, will be built between Devprayag and Lachmoli on the route.[3]

As per the letter issued to Uttarakhand government by RVNL, the sites where railway stations will come up are — Yog Nagari Rishikesh railway station in Rishikesh, Dehradun district, Srinagar, Tehri, Shivpuri and Byasi in Tehri district, Devprayag and Dhari Devi in Pauri, Rudraprayag and Gholtir in Rudraprayag district, and Gaucher and Karanprayag in Chamoli district. The proposed 125-kilometre stretch will have 12 stations, 17 tunnels and 35 bridges. It will be constructed at a cost of Rs 16,216 crore and is expected to be completed by 2024-25.

Current status

The design consultancy contracts for tunnel and bridge construction were awarded in 2019. Italferr S.p.A., the engineering arm of FS Italiane Group, as part of a joint venture with Swiss firm Lombardi SA, has been awarded the contract for the executive design and works supervision of a first 12 km long section (running almost entirely through tunnels) of the “Himalaya Tunnel”, for the Rishikesh–Karnaprayag railway in the State of Uttarakhand.[4] The construction has started in 2019. Work for the first block section from Virbhadra railway station to Yog Nagari Rishikesh railway station commenced in June 2018 and was completed in 2020.

See also

References
  1. Dangwal, Sandhya (12 May 2017). "Chardham to get rail connectivity; Indian Railways pilgrimage linking project to cost Rs 43.29 crore". India.com. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  2. "Railway minister lays foundation stone for final location survey on char dham route". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  3. "Coming soon: India's longest railway tunnel on Rishikesh–Karnaprayag route". Hindustan Times. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  4. "Italferr is awarded a new contract in India". www.italferr.it. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
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