Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced significant progress in the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag rail line project in Uttarakhand. Of the 16 mainline tunnels, nine have been completed, along with eight major bridges.

The 125-km rail line will connect Rishikesh to Karnaprayag, passing through Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal, Rudraprayag, and Chamoli districts. It will provide better connectivity to religious and tourist destinations, easing travel to the Char Dham. With 84 percent of the project running through tunnels, the construction involves 16 mainline tunnels (105 km) and 12 escape tunnels (98 km).

Additionally, eight adits - auxiliary openings to speed up excavation, have been finished. The longest tunnel, T8, will stretch 14.59 km, making it the longest railway tunnel in India. "Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) has been deployed for construction," the Minister informed, emphasising minimal ecological impact. The project includes 19 major bridges, of which eight are completed. "Works in balance bridges have also been taken up," he added.

Twelve new railway stations are being constructed at Yognagari Rishikesh, Shivpuri, Byasi, Devprayag, Janasu, Maletha, Ranihat Naithan (Srinagar), Dhari Devi, Tilani, Gholtir, Gauchar, and Karnaprayag.