Uttarakhand to soon get a 327-kilometre-long railway line connecting the famous Char Dhams of India — Yamunotri, Gangotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath. By Tanvi Jain
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Embarking upon Uttarakhand’s famous Char Dham Yatra might soon become hassle-free for pilgrims with the introduction of a 327-kilometre-long rail network that the Indian Railways is working towards setting up in order to connect the holy shrines of Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath, via Karanprayag and Dehradun.
“Boon for devotees of Char Dham: Railways is working on 327 km network to connect the Char Dham in Uttarakhand. This will make it convenient for crores of devotees to visit the holy shrines of Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath & Kedarnath,” Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted.
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The rail line will reportedly pass through Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri, Chamoli, Garhwal, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi, and tunnels will also be built for the train to conveniently cross the inaccessible hilly areas.
Reports also suggest that the cost of this entire project is estimated to be around INR 43,292 crore. However, the foundation stone of Final Location Survey for Single Broad Gauge Line Rail Connectivity was laid at Badrinath, by former railway minister Suresh Prabhu back in 2017.
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While Yamunotri tracing the origin of Yamuna is located at 3,293 metres above the sea level, Gangotri which traces the origin of Ganga is at 3,408 metres above the sea level. Moreover, while Kedarnath which is one of the 12 jyotirlingas, is 3,583 metres above the mean sea level, Badrinath is situated at a height of 3,133 metres above the mean sea level.
Furthermore, the Uttarakhand Government has eased certain restrictions for visitors of the Himalayan state in the current phase of Unlock. One of the relaxations include lifting of the cap of 2,000 tourists in one day. The state being home to the famous Char Dham relies heavily on tourism for most of its revenue, due to which it is important to maintain the flow of tourists in the state.
However, travellers will still have to register themselves on smartcitydehradun.uk.gov.in, and also produce a COVID-19 negative report not more than three days old.
Related: You Might Soon Be Able To Go On A Train Journey To The Char Dham