Major railway projects in Himachal Pradesh underway with significant investment

Dharamshala, August 10, 2024: Rajya Sabha MP Indu Bala Goswami recently provided an update on the progress of key railway projects in Himachal Pradesh, based on information shared by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in response to her query in Parliament. She said that according to the Minister, by April 1, 2024, the construction, planning, and approval of four new railway lines, spanning a total length of 255 km, are in various stages of development. These projects, which are partially or fully within Himachal Pradesh, represent a significant investment of Rs 13,168 crore.

Among these, the construction of a 61 km long railway line has already been completed by March 2024, at a cost of Rs 6,225 crore. The Railway Minister highlighted the ongoing construction of the 63.5 km Bhanupalli-Bilaspur-Beri railway line and the 30 km Chandigarh-Baddi railway line, with costs shared between the central government and the Himachal Pradesh government.

However, the progress of these projects has been impacted by delays in land acquisition and financial contributions from the state government. Of the required 124.02 hectares for the Bhanupalli-Bilaspur-Beri railway line, only 79.57 hectares have been acquired so far, with Rs 5,205 crore already spent on the project. The Himachal Pradesh government still owes Rs 1,351 crore for its share of the costs. Similarly, for the Chandigarh-Baddi railway line, land acquisition is complete, and Rs 727 crore has been spent, but Rs 146 crore remains outstanding from the state government.

MP Indu Gowswami said that Rail Minister Vaishnaw emphasized the critical role of the Himachal Pradesh government's cooperation in accelerating the implementation of these railway projects. The delay in fulfilling financial commitments has hindered progress, making state government support essential for the timely completion of these initiatives.

In addition to the railway lines, the Railway Minister announced that under the "Amrit Bharat Station Yojana," four railway stations in Himachal Pradesh—Baijnath-Paprola, Amb Andaura, Palampur, and Shimla—have been selected for redevelopment. Tenders have been awarded for the redevelopment of Baijnath-Paprola and Amb Andaura stations, which will see improvements in station buildings, parking facilities, platforms, waiting halls, toilets, signage, and other amenities. Meanwhile, Shimla and Palampur stations are currently undergoing master planning.

Furthermore, all basic facilities at Daulatpur railway station have been fully developed.

In this year’s railway budget, the central government allocated Rs 2,698 crore for Himachal Pradesh’s railway projects, marking a substantial increase from the Rs 108 crore provided during the UPA government’s tenure—a nearly 25-fold rise, highlighting the government’s commitment to enhancing railway infrastructure in the region.