Union Minister Shares Detailed Update on Railway Projects in Himachal

The central government has provided detailed information in response to a question posed by BJP leader and MP Harsh Mahajan in the Rajya Sabha regarding the status of ongoing rail projects in Himachal Pradesh. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav stated in his reply in the Rajya Sabha that work is underway on several important rail projects in Himachal Pradesh, and thousands of crores of rupees are being spent on these projects.

MP Harsh Mahajan, through his question, had asked the government what is the current status of the proposals for extension of Amb-Andaura railway line, Bilaspur railway line, Bilaspur–Manali–Leh rail project and conversion of Pathankot–Jogindernagar narrow gauge line into broad gauge.

In his reply, the Union Minister stated that the Amb-Andaura rail line is part of the existing Morinda-Rupnagar-Anandpur Sahib-Daulatpur Chowk route and is being extended to connect with Mukerian and the Jalandhar-Jammu route. Under this project, 60 km of work from Nangal Dam to Daulatpur Chowk has already been completed, while work is underway on the Daulatpur Chowk to Mukerian (42 km) section.

The work on Daulatpur Chowk-Kartoli (10.5 km) section has been completed, while in the Kartoli-Talwara (13.65 km) section, work on viaduct (9.2 km), one major bridge, seven minor bridges, two ROBs and eight RUBs is underway and about 25 per cent work has been completed.

Additionally, work on 13 major bridges is underway on the Talwara–Mukerian (28.70 km) section, with approximately 70 percent progress recorded. Of the 40 RUBs, 29 have been completed, while work on the remaining is ongoing.

The Union Minister informed that the Chandigarh-Baddi New Rail Line (33 km) project has been approved at a cost of ₹1,540 crore, with a 50-50 percent cost sharing between the Himachal Pradesh government and the central government. ₹1,068.88 crore has been spent on the project so far.

The total cost of the project is ₹1,069 crore, with the Himachal government’s share being ₹534 crore. The state government has so far deposited ₹348 crore, with ₹186 crore remaining.

Under the project, 97 hectares of land acquisition and forest clearance have been completed. In addition, approximately 75 percent of the 9-kilometer viaduct has been completed, and construction of bridges, ROBs, and station buildings is underway.

The Union Minister also informed that the Bhanupalli–Bilaspur–Beri New Rail Line (63 km) project has been approved on a cost-sharing basis, with the central government sharing 75 percent of the cost and the state government sharing 25 percent. The total estimated cost of the project is ₹6,753 crore, including land costs of ₹1,617 crore.

So far, ₹7,729 crore has been spent on the project. The state government’s share is ₹2,781 crore, of which ₹847 crore has been deposited, leaving ₹1,934 crore remaining.

Under the project, 15 of the 16 tunnels have been completed, 10 of the 27 major bridges have been completed, 6 of the 8 ROBs have been completed, and 4 of the 5 RUBs have been completed. Additionally, 3 of the 6 station buildings have been completed.

The Union Minister informed that the Bilaspur-Manali-Leh new railway line (489 km) has been identified as a strategic project by the Ministry of Defense. The survey for this project has been completed and a detailed project report has been prepared. The estimated cost of this project is approximately ₹1.31 lakh crore and approximately 270 km of tunnels are proposed.

Apart from this, survey for conversion of Pathankot-Jogindernagar narrow gauge rail line (200 km) into broad gauge has been approved and the process of preparing Detailed Project Report (DPR) is underway.

The Ministry of Railways also reported a significant increase in budget allocations for railway infrastructure in Himachal Pradesh. From an average of ₹108 crore per year during 2009–14, this has increased to ₹2716 crore in 2025–26, representing more than 25 times the previous figure.

The Union Minister stated that currently, three new rail lines in Himachal Pradesh have a total length of 214 kilometers, costing ₹17,622 crore. Of these, 64 kilometers have been commissioned, and ₹8,280 crore has been spent by March 2025.

MP Harsh Mahajan said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the central government is continuously making efforts to strengthen rail connectivity in Himachal Pradesh. He said that the completion of these projects will provide significant benefits to the state from tourism, trade, and strategic perspectives, and will give new impetus to the state’s development.