Rishikesh, September 1: The longest railway tunnel in India, being 14 kms between Devprayag and Janasu, will be part of the 125 km Rishikesh-Karnaprayag broad gauge line.
A 125.20 km railway line that connects Rishikesh and Karnaprayag will stretch across 5 districts of the state namely Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal, Rudraprayag and Chamoli.
Om Prakash Malgudi, a senior project manager for Railway Vikas Nigam Limited, said that the track would begin at Virbhadra, close to Rishikesh, 29 August. According to him, the project’s initial budget of Rs 16,216 cr is revised to Rs 23,000 crore.
11 more stations will be located between Virbhadra and Karnaprayag. There will be tunnels and bridges along about 105 km of the track. The project is anticipated to be finished by the end of December 2024.
State-owned Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) is executing this 125 km long railway line.
The project will also provide rail link connectivity between Rishikesh and Karnaprayag and boost the tourism sector by easing access to pilgrimage centres of Uttarakhand.