Posted On:
29 JUL 2026 5:40PM by PIB Dehradun
On Wednesday Union Railway Minister Sh. Ashwini Vaishnaw in Lok Sabha replied to the unstarred question put up by Nainital MP Sh. Ajay Bhatt regarding whether the Government has received proposals from various States including Uttarakhand for approval of laying new railway lines connecting major cities and towns.
In the reply Union Railway minister said that Budget allocation for Infrastructure projects and safety works, falling fully partly in Uttarakhand is as under:
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Period
|
Outlay
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Remarks
|
|
2009–14
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Rs 187 Crore / year
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Average annual allocation
|
|
2026–27
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Rs 4,769 Crore
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More than 25 times increase
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As on 01.04.2026, 02 New Lines, covering total length of 188 Km costing Rs 39,686 crore falling fully/partly in the Uttarakhand are sanctioned. The summary is as under
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Category
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No. of projects
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Total Length (in Km)
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Length Commissioned (in Km)
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Expenditure upto March 2026 (Rs. in crore)
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|
New Lines
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02
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188
|
06
|
22,014
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Recently completed projects:
Details of some of the recently completed projects falling fully/partly in the State of Uttarakhand are as under:
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SN
|
Project
|
Cost (Rs. in Cr.)
|
|
1
|
Deoband - Roorkee New Line (28 Km)
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1,289
|
|
2
|
Haridwar – Laksar Doubling (27 Km)
|
347
|
|
3
|
Bareilly - Tanakpur Gauge Conversion (102 Km)
|
313
|
To provide rail connectivity to Uttarakhand, Rishikesh-Karnaprayag new rail line project (125 km) has been sanctioned. The project alignment passes through Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal, Rudrapryag and Chamoli Districts of Uttarakhand and will provide rail connectivity to Devprayag and Karnaprayag religious and tourist spots with Rishikesh and National Capital of India.
The alignment of the project predominantly passes through tunnels. The project involves construction of 16 Main line tunnels of 104 km length and 12 Escape tunnels of about 98 km length. So far, Main line tunnels of 101 km length and Escape Tunnels of over 95 km length have been completed.
To increase progress of works, 08 Adits in various tunnels were also identified. These adits created additional work faces of tunnel excavation expediting early completion of long tunnels. Works of all 8 Adits (5 km) have also been completed.
The project also involves construction of 19 Important/Major Bridges. 11 out of 19 Important/Major Bridges have also been completed. Works in balance bridges have also been taken up.
During last three years i.e. 2023-24, 2024-25 , 2025-26 and current Financial Year i.e. 2026-27, 08 Nos. of Surveys (03 New Line, 05 Doubling) falling fully/partly in the State of Uttarakhand having a total length of 446 Km have been sanctioned.
Some of the important surveys taken up are as under:-
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SN
|
Project
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Total Length (in Km)
|
|
1
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Dhampur - Kashipur new line
|
58
|
|
2
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Dehradun - Saharanpur via Shakumbhari Devi new line
|
81
|
|
3
|
Lalkuan – Kathgodam doubling
|
22
|
|
4
|
Lalkuan – Rampur doubling
|
66
|
|
5
|
Haridwar – Motichur - Raiwala doubling
|
12
|
Proposals/requests/suggestions/ representations, both formal and informal for Railway projects/Works across the country are received on the basis of demands raised by State Governments, Members of Parliament, Ministries of Central Government, elected representatives, Railways’ own requirements, organizations/rail users etc. At various levels including Railway Board, Zonal Railways, Division Office etc. As receipt of such proposals/complaints/suggestions is a continuous and dynamic process, centralized compendium of such requests is not maintained. However, these are examined and action as found feasible and justified is taken from time to time.
Sanction of any railway project depend upon many parameters/factors which include the following:
- Anticipated traffic projections and remunerativeness of the proposed route
- First and last mile connectivity provided by the project
- Connection of missing links and providing additional route
- Augmentation of congested/saturated lines
- Demands raised by State Governments/Central Ministries/Public representatives
- Railway’s operational requirements
- Socio-economic considerations
-Overall availability of funds
Completion of Railway project/s depends on various factors which include
the following:
-Land acquisition by State Government
- Forest clearance
- Shifting of infringing utilities
-Statutory clearances from various authorities
- Geological and topographical conditions of area
- Law and order situation in the area of project site
- Number of working months in a year for particular project site etc.
All these factors affect the completion time and cost of the projects.