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The 125-km Rishikesh-Karnaprayag rail project in Uttarakhand is now expected to be completed by 2028, with Railway Board Chairman Satish Kumar confirming a revised timeline. The project, sanctioned in 2016 and executed by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), was earlier targeted for commissioning by end-2026. The rail corridor, which passes through five districts including Dehradun and Rudraprayag, is designed to enhance connectivity to key religious and tourist destinations such as Devprayag and Karnaprayag. It also features India's longest transportation tunnel at 14.58 km and includes 19 major bridges. The revised timeline reflects execution challenges in difficult terrain while maintaining progress on tunnelling and bridge construction.
The Rishikesh-Karnaprayag rail project in Uttarakhand is now expected to be completed by 2028, with Railway Board Chairman Satish Kumar confirming the revised timeline during an official event held in the past week. Advertisement
The 125-km rail corridor, being executed by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited, is among the most significant railway infrastructure projects in the Himalayan region. Sanctioned in 2016, the project is aimed at extending rail connectivity from Rishikesh to Karnaprayag, improving access to remote districts and key pilgrimage centres.
The project alignment passes through multiple districts including Dehradun, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal, Rudraprayag, and Chamoli, connecting important religious and tourism hubs such as Devprayag and Karnaprayag with the broader rail network linked to Delhi.
Originally scheduled for commissioning by December 2026, the timeline has now been extended to 2028. The revision reflects the complexity of executing large-scale infrastructure in mountainous terrain, where geological conditions, tunnelling requirements, and environmental constraints affect construction progress.
One of the defining features of the project is the construction of India's longest transportation tunnel, measuring 14.58 km. The rail line includes extensive tunnelling works across the alignment, with a significant portion of the route passing through underground sections to navigate the Himalayan topography.
In addition to tunnelling, the project involves the construction of 19 major bridges, of which eight have already been completed. Work on the remaining bridge structures is underway, forming a critical component of the overall connectivity corridor.
The Railway Ministry had awarded the initial construction packages to RVNL in 2020 after completing land acquisition and obtaining necessary forest clearances. Since then, work has progressed across multiple sections, with parallel construction activities being undertaken to maintain project momentum.
The rail line is expected to play a key role in improving accessibility to Uttarakhand's interior regions, particularly for pilgrimage and tourism traffic. It also holds strategic importance due to its proximity to border areas, supporting improved logistical movement in the region.
Officials indicated that despite the revised timeline, the project continues to advance with focus on critical milestones such as tunnelling breakthroughs and bridge completion. The complexity of the terrain has necessitated specialised engineering approaches, contributing to phased execution across different stretches.
The development forms part of broader efforts to expand railway connectivity in hilly and border regions, where infrastructure gaps have historically limited accessibility. The Rishikesh-Karnaprayag line remains a key component of this strategy, with its completion expected to significantly reduce travel time and improve regional mobility.
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