Bilaspur-Leh rail line is world's biggest & highest project

The upcoming Bilaspur-Manali-Leh railway line is destined to resolve LehLadakh connectivity issues in the Himalayan belt with the Indian Railways and the Ministry of Defence launching the world's biggest and highest infrastructural project providing all-weather connectivity from HP to Leh. The Ladakh region usually remains cut-off from the rest of the country for nearly six months due to closure of the 434-km Srinagar-Leh national highway during winters. Work has started on the DPR for the project, which is set to be at the highest point of 5,360 metres above sea level and is comparable only to the Qinghai-Tibet rail line of China. The 51-km stretch from Upshi in Himachal Pradesh and Phe in Leh will be seamlessly connected with this line. This railway venture is of strategic significance as it will lie along the Indo-China border and will not just help the armed forces of the country, but will also boost tourism and overall development of the remote Himalayan region. On completion, the areas between Bilaspur and Leh such as Manali, Upshi,Mandi, Sundernagar, Koksar, Keylong, Karu, Darcha as well as other important towns of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir will get railway connectivity and travel time between Delhi and Leh will reduce to half from the current 40 hours.