The Statue of Unity at Kevadiya in Gujarat will be connected to the railway network by the end of 2020.
The train services will take passengers up to five km from the tallest statue in the world.
At present, Vadodara, Bharuch and Ankleshwar stations provide rail connectivity to the statue. The nearest airports to the Statue of Unity are Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport and Vadodara Airport.
The Railways has acquired 100 percent for the Kevadia Rail Link project. The project envisaged gauge conversion between the Dabhoi-Chandod 18 km route and a new line of 32 km between Chandod and Kevadia.
While track work between Dhaboi to Chandod has been completed, the line between Chandod and Kevadia is expected to be completed by 15 November 2020.
All three major and 16 minor bridges between Dabhoi-Chandod have been built. Out of the four major and 47 minor bridges between Chandod and Kevadia, work on one major bridge and 22 minor bridges has also been completed.
In the 2017 Union Budget, the Centre had announced the gauge conversion of the Indian Railways' Dabhoi-Chanod rail line. This rail line is now being extended up to Kevadia.
The foundation stone for the railway station which is being built at a cost of around Rs 20 crore and situated just five km from the statue, was laid by President Ram Nath Kovind in December 2018.
Once the project is completed, one can reach the Statue of Unity from Vadodara in 45 minutes. The speed of the trains in this section will be 110 kmph in Phase-I and upgraded to 130 kmph later.