By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
The Chardham rail project’s alignment is situated in close proximity to the Main Central Thrust of the Himalayas, a zone characterized by high seismic activity, Union Railways Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw on Thursday said.
However, the rail survey work for extending rail connectivity to the Chardham comprising Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath has been completed. Vaishnav did not elaborate further.
Experts have advised the centre to set up an expert committee of top scientists and environmentalists to prepare a report on the new Chardham rail project due to its close proximity to the Main Central Thrust.
The Union Minister was responding to a question asked by BJP MP Ajay Bhatt in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
Vaishnaw said that three new rail lines covering a total length of 216 km at a cost of ₹40,384 crore, falling entirely/partially in the state of Uttarakhand, have been approved.
Vaishnaw responded that the budget allocation for infrastructure projects and safety works falling entirely/partially in the state of Uttarakhand is as follows. The average outlay on railway projects during the period 2009–14 was ₹187 crore per year. In comparison, this outlay has increased to ₹4,641 crore in 2025–26, a nearly 25-fold increase.
As of 01.04.2025, three new railway lines covering a total length of 216 km have been sanctioned in the state of Uttarakhand, coming fully/partly under the State of Uttarakhand at a cost of ₹40,384 crore. Of these, 16 km has been commissioned, and an expenditure of ₹19,898 crore has been incurred till March 2025. There are a total of three projects in the new line category. The total length of these projects is 216 km, of which 16 km has been commissioned. A total expenditure of ₹19,898 crore has been incurred on these projects as of March 2025, he said.
To provide rail connectivity to the Char Dham circuit, the construction of the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag New Line Project (125 km) is in full swing. The project’s alignment runs primarily through tunnels. The project involves the construction of 16 main-line tunnels spanning a total length of 104 km, and 12 escape tunnels spanning approximately 98 km. To date, 99 km of the main tunnels and over 94 km of the escape tunnels (comprising 9 distinct tunnels) have been completed.
To accelerate the progress of construction activities, 8 adits (access tunnels) were identified across various tunnel sections. These adits facilitated additional excavation fronts, thereby expediting the completion of the longer tunnels. Work on all 8 adits (totaling 5 km) has also been completed.
The project also entails the construction of 19 major/significant bridges. Of these 19 bridges, 8 have already been completed. Construction work on the remaining bridges has also commenced, the Minister said.