Chota Char Dham Railway
Chota Char Dham Railway
छोटा चार धाम रेलवेThe Chota Char Dham Railway (Hindi: छोटा चार धाम रेलवे) is Indian Railways's proposed twin railway lines, will compliment the Char Dham Highway project by connecting the holiest places of Hinduism called Chota Char Dham, from the existing Doiwala station near Dehradun to Gangotri and Yamunotri via a fork at Uttarkashi and another set of twin rail links from the upcoming railway station at Karnaprayag to Kedarnath and Badrinath via a fork at Saikot. The line is also of strategic military importance and has designated a national project.
Chota Char Dham Railway Railway Routes
The Chota Char Dham Railway has two different Y-shaped railways, with total of the following four individual rail lines: - Doiwala-Dehradun-Uttarkashi-Maneri Gangotri Railway 131 km long route
- Uttarkashi-Palar Yamunotri Railway, 22 km long route making a "Y" fork connection at Uttarkashi from the Gangotri railway above.
- Karnaprayag-Saikot-Sonprayag Kedarnath Railway 99 km long route
- Saikot-Joshimath Badrinath Railway, 75 km long route making a "Y" fork connection at Saikot from the Kedarnath railway above.
- Rishikesh-Karnaprayag Railway is also an under construction new railway link extension from the exiting Rishikesh railway station to Karnaprayag.
Chota Char Dham Railway Strategic Importance
Once this railway line is completed, India-China border will be closer to the rest of India by railway. The time taken to reach the strategic border military stations from Delhi will be reduced by providing safe and quick mode of public transport for personnel and equipment.
Chota Char Dham Railway Challenges
After the Konkan Railway and Jammu-Baramulla line, this line will be the most challenging railway project in Indian Railways due to high mountains, a large number of tunnels and high bridges and severe cold weather in flood, landslide and earthquake prone high altitude mountainous area.
Chota Char Dham Railway Current Status
Chota Char Dham Railway project's 327 km long construction, costing INR ₹43,292 crore (USD $6.6 billion), began with the foundation stone laying and commencement of INR ₹120 crore Final Location Survery (FSL) in May 2017 by the Union Railway minister Suresh Prabhu.
Chota Char Dham Railway Overview Detail
छोटा चार धाम रेलवे
Chota Char Dham Railway System: Broad Gauge
Chota Char Dham Railway Status: Proposed
Chota Char Dham Railway Locale: Uttarakhand
Termini:
Start at Doiwala for Yamunotri and Gangotri routes,
Start at Karnaprayag for Kedarnath and Badrinath routes
End at Palar for Yamunotri,
End at Maneri for Gangotri,
End at Sonprayag for Kedarnath route,
End at Joshimath for Badrinath route
Chota Char Dham Railway Services:
Two separate Y-fork railways with a total of four individual routes
Chota Char Dham Railway Operator(s): Indian Railways
Chota Char Dham Railway Line Length: 327 km (203 mi)
Chota Char Dham Railway Track Length: 327 km (203 mi)
Chota Char Dham Railway Track Gauge: 1,676 mm (5 ft 6.0 in)
Chota Char Dham Railway Highest Elevation: 1,733 m (5,686 ft)
