Now, travel from Delhi to Leh in just 20 hours
Thanks to the highly ambitious and strategically-significant Northern Railways project of the Bilaspur-Manali-Leh line, Delhiites will now be able to travel directly to Leh-Ladakh in nearly 20 hours, compared to the current duration of 40 hours. The Railway line, to be built along the Indo-China border, will be the world's highest. Here's more.
Major pros of the line
The mammoth Bilaspur-Manali-Leh line will not only provide all-weather access to the Armed forces, but will also help boost tourism in the scenic Leh-Ladakh region.
About the Rail line's costing, height, and the stations
The estimated cost of the 465-km long Rail line is around Rs. 83,360 crore. The highest road point of the Rail line would be 5,360 meter above the mean sea level, making it the world's highest Rail line, comparable only to China's Qinghai-Tibet Railway Line, which stands at a height of 2000 meter. There will be a total of 30 stations along the line.
Tunnels tunnels everywhere
Interestingly, the rail route will include 74 tunnels, 124 major bridges, and 396 minor bridges, as per the first phase of the survey. Keylong station, on the route, will be built inside a tunnel, at a height of 3000 meter. With the total stretch of the tunnels at 244 kms, more than half of the route will be covered through the tunnels.
Current status of the project
The route will connect important stops between Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh to Leh, including Sundernagar, Mandi, Manali, Keylong, Koksar, Darcha, Upshi and Karu, among other places. The highly-challenging Rail project is expected to reduce travel time from Delhi to Leh by half, ie. from current 40 hours to 20 hours. The final location survey is expected to be completed in next 30 months.
