Highest rail line worth ₹83,360 cr on anvil in Himalayas
The world's highest rail line zooming over 5,360 meters above sea level is being built in directly connecting Himalayan states of Himachal Pradesh with Jammu and Kashmir entailing a whopping investment worth ₹83,360 crore. The mega rail project will not only be the world's highest railway track but will also mark the introduction of many other facilities for the first time in the country. In the first phase, the project will house 74 tunnels, 124 big bridges and 396 minor bridges on a 465 km long rail track. The railway line connects mountain passes like Rohtang La, Barlacha La, Lachung La, and Tangla La and is expected to be completed by 2022. The railway is also seeking help from the US for satellite imagery to survey the route and will also use the Lidar method for an understanding of the geology of the entire route. As per plans the railway's elevation will begin from Bilaspur at a height of 500 metre and culminate in Leh at an elevation of 3,215 metre and over 50% of the line will be underground. The line is strategically important and will provide all-weather surface connectivity to far-flung areas of Ladakh region. It will also boost tourist inflow, which will be beneficial for the local population to uplift their socio economic conditions. Travel time will reduce by half as the rail project will be executed in a way that it need not close during extreme weather, said chief engineer of the project, Desh Ratan. The only rail line that can be compared to this is Qinghai-Tibet line in China, which is at a height of around 2,000 metres above sea level. The world’s highest railway station on this line will be Taglang La railway station at Taglang La. Also, India's first railway station inside a tunnel will come up in Himachal Pradesh. Once this railway line is completed, Leh will be directly connected to Himachal Pradesh and the rest of India by rail network, he added
