To link the Char Dham pilgrimage centres through rail connectivity and in keeping with its budgetary commitment, the Indian Railways is taking the step of commencing the final location survey for a single broad guage line rail connectivity for the Char Dham pilgrimage. Reiterating his commitment to fast-track this rail project, Minister for Railways, Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu will lay the foundation stone for the final location survey for single broad gauge line rail connectivity in the presence of Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on May 13 at Badrinath.
Sources inform that the Rail Vikas Nigam limited (RVNl) has been entrusted to undertake the final location survey for rail connectivity to Char Dham -- Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath via Dehradun and Karnprayag. As alignment will pass through the Himalayas, the railway has to meet the challenges of railway construction integrating the issues posed by the terrain and adverse geology along with limits of load, capacity, safety and speed.
Yamunotri is situated at 3293 metres above Mean Sea level (MSl) while Gangotri is located at 3408 metres above MSl. Kedarnath is located at 3583 metres above MSl, while Badrinath is at 3133 metres above MSl. The proposed Char Dham rail line connecting to 2000 metres above MSl and above will also be an engineering challenging.
RVNl had undertaken a Reconnaissance Engineering Survey (REC) in 2014-15 of the rail connectivity project and submitted its report in October 2015, recommending two take-off points-- one from existing Doiwala station and one from the under construction Karnprayag station.
For the Gangotri alignment, the proposed rail link takes off from Doiwala station to connect upto Maneri at 1270 metres altitude marking a route of 131 kilometres via Uttarkashi.
For Yamunotri, the alignment is proposed to take off midway from Gangotri link at Uttarkashi making a “Y” connection and terminating at Palar with a take- off route length of 22 kilometres. For the Kedarnath alignment, the proposed line will take off from proposed Karnprayag station and terminate at Sonprayag via Saikot with a route length of 99 kms. The Badrinath alignment will take off midway from Kedarnath link at Saikot making a “Y” connection and terminating at Joshimath with a route length of 75 kms. As per the reconnaissance survey the total route length is 327 kms at estimated cost of Rs. 43,292 crore.
The REC Survey recommends 21 new stations, 61 tunnels totaling to 279 kms tunnel length and 59 bridges.