The survey for a new rail project connecting the Union Territory of Ladakh with the rest of India has been completed, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed Parliament on July 26.
The 498-km proposed line is planned to start from Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh and via Manali will reach Leh. “A detailed project report has been prepared. There will be 40 railway stations along the line,” he said in a written reply.
62 tunnels
The line will be laid along 2,557.96 hectares of land. Nearly half of the railway line, up to 270 km, will snake through 62 tunnels. It will also entail construction of 114 major bridges and 90 minor bridges. The hill rail project will also require laying of 156 km of access roads.
The estimated cost of project is approximately ₹99,201.40 crore. The new line will start from Beri, passing through major towns of Sundernagar, Mandi, Manali, Sissi, Darcha Keylong, Sarchu, Pang, Rumtse, Upshi, Kharu and terminate at Leh Terminus.
Two proposals shelved
The new line is the third such proposal to connect strategically important Ladakh with the rest of India. Earlier, a survey for a 480-km Srinagar-Kargil-Leh line was carried out in 2016-17. The project cost was estimated at ₹55,896 crore. “However, due to low traffic projections, the project could not be taken forward,” the reply stated.
Similarly, another survey for a 664-km Pathankot-Leh line was carried out in 2017-18. “As per the survey report, the anticipated cost of the project was ₹70,308 crore,” the reply said. This project too was shelved owing to low traffic projections.
