The proposed railway lines for Leh-Pathankot and Srinagar-Kargil has been shelved due to low traffic projections, the ministry told Lok Sabha this week.
The survey of Bilaspur-Manali-Leh new line project has been completed and the detailed project report was also prepared. However, the ministry did not comment on the current status of the project after BJP MP from the region Jamyang Tsering Namgyal’s question.
The other routes for connectivity to Leh were one from Srinagar-Kargil and the other from Pathankot. For both these projects, a survey was carried out. According to the survey, the 480-km route from Srinagar would cost Rs 55,896 crore while the Pathankot-Leh 664-km route would cost Rs 70,308 crore. However, due to the low traffic projections, these projects could not be taken forward, the railways said.
Bilaspur-Manali-Leh Rail Projects
The 489-km Broad Gauge route from Bilaspur will connect important towns of Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh starting from Beri to Sundernagar, Mandi, Manali, Sissu, Darcha Keylong, Sarchu, Pang, Rumtse, Upshi, Kharu before ending at Leh. Later, the line from Bilaspur will be connected to Bhanupali between Anandpur Sahib and Nangal Dam.
According to the Railways, there will be 40 stations on the route. A ministry official told News18 that of the 489 km, at least 270 km will be tunnels. “It is going to be one of the most difficult rail projects in the country”.
“The proposed alignment passes through the Shivalik, Great Himalayan and Zanskar Ranges, areas with wide variation in height ranging between 600m and 5,300 m above the sea level. The region falls under seismic zone IV and V that will necessitate building of a large number of tunnels, deep viaducts and bridges. The route will have 62 tunnels while there will be 114 major bridges and 90 minor bridges. The estimated cost of the project is about Rs 1 lakh crore. This will be an electric route and over 2,500 hectares of land will be required for this,” the official said, demanding anonymity.
This line has been identified as “strategic” by the Ministry of Defence.
The foundation stone for the Final Location Survey of the new line was laid in Leh on June 27, 2017 by then railway minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu. The expected deadline for completion of the survey was March 2019 with an approximate cost of Rs 157 crore.
Train connectivity to Ladakh was crucial for strategic, economic and tourism development of the Union Territory that witnesses thousands of tourists every year. The ministry has been claiming that on completion, it will be the highest railway track in the world.
Leh is the second largest district in the country after Gujarat’s Kutch. Leh has elaborate Army establishments and is the Headquarter of 14 corps. However, all-weather connectivity to the region is still awaited.
A cold desert, the temperature in Leh during the winter plummets down to well below freezing point and the road connectivity gets cut off. All weather rail connectivity to the region is crucial for both the strategic as well as socio-economic needs.
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