Uttarakhand waits for better rail connectivity

2:45 pm Business, Tourism

Dehradun, 13 Feb 2008

With barely a fortnight left for the announcement of the Railway budget, people here are not only waiting for the arrival of trains in the hill regions like other Himalayan states but are also looking forward to better rail connectivity with other states.

The visits of railway minister Mr Lalu Prasad to Uttarakhand many a time in the past and his promise of better rail links have raised the hope of the people of this hill state.

A few months ago, the minister admitted the need to have the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag and Tanakpur-Bageshwar rail links as part of the national plan. It is believed that there could be some announcement in this regard in the rail budget. Past surveys have recommended the rail link on the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag route. The first survey was done in 1919 on the initiatives of the then deputy commissioner of Garhwal JM Clay. The next survey was done in 1996, by the then minister of state for Railways Mr Satpal Maharaj. But the rail link on the hills here remained a dream.

Experts find no impediments to the construction of rail routes here. Dr PC Nawani, director of the Geological Survey of India, who is a consultant to the Rail line Plan in Jammu and Kashmir, says the hills of Uttarakhand are fit for the rail links. “The situation here is more favourable compared to Jammu and Kashmir as the rocks here are harder,” Dr Nawani said.

“It is perhaps due to the lack of political will that the hills of Uttarakhand are still without trains,” Mr Naveen Gupta, a trader said. He reasoned: “If there can be trains in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Darjeeling, why not in Uttarakhand?”

The people also long for the Doon-Saharanpur rail line, a double rail line from Doon-Luxar and its electrification, a fast train to Mumbai and direct trains to other parts of the country, particularly Bangalore and Goa.

With the growing number of tourists, it is essential to have better rail connectivity, Mr LM Sharma, an insurance company manager said. According to him, the Doon-Saharanpur line would help frequent travellers as it would shorten by two hours the distance from Dehradun to Delhi. It would be about 30-35 km, railway officials said.

News Source: http://www.thestatesman.net

6 Responses
  1. Bhupendra :

    Date: March 14, 2008 @ 12:02 am

    The non-hilly people, needs a better comfortable
    mean to climb the hills.

  2. shyam :

    Date: April 11, 2008 @ 2:06 pm

    People living in hilly area needs more support from uttarakand Government.

  3. pradeep rawat :

    Date: June 7, 2008 @ 4:48 am

    survey should be done for kotdwara dogadda rathwadhab[corbett park] satpuli vyaschatti to kranpryag
    pradeep rawat
    vpo naithana
    pauri garhwal
    .

  4. Dev Singh :

    Date: July 11, 2008 @ 11:06 am

    People living in hilly area needs more support from the Government of India as well as National level

  5. Arvind Semwal :

    Date: July 20, 2008 @ 9:38 am

    Its great if we get trains to visit Uttaranchal

  6. Surender Jakhmola :

    Date: July 29, 2008 @ 7:32 am

    a new rail line link ‘kotdawara to satpuli’ needed by uttrakhandi people since bith of newly created state Uttrakhand. we the people of garhwal particuluarly belgons to pauri or surrounding districts of pouri hopes that Hon’ble Minister for Railway and Hon’ble Chief Mister of Uttrakhand will look into the matter.

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