Bhanupli–Leh line

Bhanupli–Leh line is an under-construction high-elevation all-weather 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) wide gauge railway track connecting Bhanupli[2] in Punjab to Leh in Ladakh union territory of India.[3][4][5] The 465km long line, at the height of 5,360m above mean sea level, with 10 hours travel time from New Delhi to Leh, will become the highest railway in the world, surpassing the Qinghai–Tibet railway in China at 5,068m.[6]

Bhanupli–Leh line
Overview
Status
  • Survey – done
  • Feasibility Report – done
  • Submission to Planning Commission for appraisal – done
  • Approval by Planning Commission – yes
  • Land Acquisition – In progress
  • Construction – In Progress
LocalePunjab, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh, India
Termini
Websitehttp://www.indianrailways.gov.in
Service
ServicesBhanupli–Bilaspur–Sundernagar–Kullu–Manali–Keylong–Leh
Technical
Line length498 km (309 mi)
Track length498 km (309 mi)
Track gauge1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
ElectrificationIn Progress
Highest elevation5,359 m (17,582 ft) at Taglang La
Route map
Srinagar (planned)
 Leh
 Choglamshahr
 Sindhughat
 Shey
 Thicksey
 Rabirpora
 Chang-Karu
 Upshi-Junction
 Rumtse
 Taglang La
 Debring
 Pang
 Lachalungla
 Sarchu
 Baralachala
 Dharcha
 Jispa
 Keylong
 Tandi
 Sissu
 Rohtang Hault
 Manali
 Naggar
 Kullu
 Bhuntar
 Aut
 Pandoh
Joginder Nagar (planned)
 Mandi
 Bilaspur
 Jagatkhana
 Dharot
 Thural
 Bhanupli
to Chandigarh Junction
Taglang La

The Bhanupli-Leh line, with the total length of 476 km (296 miles) excluding the 13 km (8.1 miles) Leh-Sasherthang military rail link, will cost ₹99,000 crore (~US$12.4 billion) including ₹62,0000 crore (~US$7.75 billion) for the tunnels and bridges.

Construction will be completed in phases; Phase-0 Bhanupli to Beri-Barmana (Bilaspur), Phase-1 Beri-Barmana to Mandi, Phase-2 Mandi to Manali, Phase-3 Manali to Upshi, Phase-4 Upshi to Leh, Phase-5 Leh to Sasherthang 13 km extension link for the Indian Military.[3] Bhanupli-Leh line would link to the Indian railway network via the 63.1km long under-construction railway line from the existing Bhanupli railway station in Punjab (on existing Ambala-Sirhind-Una rail line) to Barmana in Bilaspur district in Himachal Pradesh.[3] As of Feb 2022, the completion date for the under-construction phase-0 Bhanupli to Barmana (Bilaspur) track is 2025. For the phase-1 Barmana to Leh line, the land acquisition has commenced for the Barmana to Mandi section.[7]

This is one of the four important railway connections along the border with China identified by the Defence Ministry.[8] Post Galwan clash with China, The Government of India expedited the land acquisition for the project.[9]

Timeline
  • December 2016: The 498 km (309 mi) Bhanupli–Leh rail FLS (Final Location Survey) was approved at a cost of ₹345 crores. The railway had requested the LAHDC to provide adequate land for setting up a camp office in Ladakh, and the required infrastructure.[12]
  • April 2017: The government informed that the Final location Survey (FSL) for these will be completed by October 2020.[13] In June 2017, the foundation stone was laid by then Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu to mark the commencement of FSL.[14]
  • December 2021: DPR (Detailed Project Report) for the 13 km long Leh-Sasherthang rail link for military logistics was completed.[3]
  • February 2022: Land acquisition for (Barmana) Bilaspur to Mandi section of Phase-1 (Barmana to Leh) started in 10 villages of Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh state.[15]
  • May 2022, the completion date for phase-0 is 2025,[7] 7 tunnels of Phase-0a (Bhanupli to Dharot) have been constructed and track laying work has commenced, Phase-0b (Dharot to Bilaspur) tenders have been allocated and construction has already started.[16]

Phases

The Bhanupli-Leh railway line project will require the acquisition of 1100 hectares of land, of which 26% is forest land, costing INR11,500 crore (US$8.5 billion). 150 km of approach roads will be constructed.[3]

Phase-0: Bhanupli to Barmana (Bilaspur), 63.1 km

Phase-0, from the existing Bhanupli railway station in Rupnagar district of Punjab state on Ambala-Sirhind-Una railway line to Barmana in Bilaspur district in Himachal Pradesh state, has a total track length of 63.1 km, 20 tunnels of total 25 km length, 24 bridges of total 6 km length and 2 viaducts of 2 km length. Of these, only seven tunnels are part of phase-0a (Bhanupli in Punjab to Dharot in Naina Devi tehsil of Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh). The rest of the tunnels and both viaducts are in phase-0b. There are five main stations in this phase, one in Punjab at Thural, and 4 in Himachal Pradesh at Dharot, Jagatkhana, Bilaspur and Barmana.[7][16]

Phase-1: (Barmana) Bilaspur to Mandi, ~30 km, under land acquisition

The land acquisition between Barmana and Mandi for this phase is underway as of May 2022.[15]

Phase-2: Mandi to Manali, ~180 km, under land acquisition

This section lies entirely within Himachal Pradesh.[3]

Phase-3: Manali to Upshi, ~380 km, under land acquisition

This section connects Himachal Pradesh to Ladakh.[3]

Phase-4: Upshi to Leh, ~45 km, under land acquisition

This section lies entirely within Ladakh.[3]

Phase-5: Leh to Sasherthang military link, 13 km, under planning

This section, which lies entirely within Ladakh, will serve the Indian military's logistics needs on India-China LAC, India-Pakistan LOC in Ladakh and Kashmir, and India-Pakistan AGPL in Siachen. This section has a tunnel and a bridge.[3]

Future extensions
  • Leh to Kargil, ~210 km.[17]
  • Kargil to Srinagar, ~225 km.[17]

Infrastructure and construction

After Jammu–Baramulla line, the Bhanupli–Leh line will be the most challenging railway project in Indian Railways due to high mountains, a large number of tunnels and high bridges and severe cold weather. According to the survey report, cost of construction of this 458 km (285 mi) long all-weather broad-gauge railway line has been calculated at ₹83,360 crore (~USD 11.3 bn at time of publication[18]) with a negative rate of return of 4.46%.[19]

To cater to military logistics, the loop line will be constructed at five stations for the exclusive use of military loading and unloading at Karu, Sissu, Debring, Leh and Sesharthang. The rail line will be extended 13 km from Leh to Sesharthang to meet military logistics needs.[3]

See also

References
  1. "Bhanupli Railway Station Timeline - Railway Enquiry".
  2. "Bhanupli Railway Station Timeline - Railway Enquiry".
  3. "डीपीआर तैयार: सेना के लिए चीन सीमा तक अलग से बिछेगा 13 किलोमीटर रेल ट्रैक". Amar Ujala. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  4. "Himachal: Railways Awards Bhanupali-Bilaspur Railway Line Project". Nvonews.com. 19 September 2009. Archived from the original on 7 April 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  5. "Rail link to Leh: Centre seeks Plan panel nod". visitladakh.com. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  6. "Leh? Soon, It'll Be Just a Train Ride Away". Outlook Traveller. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  7. , Amar Ujala, 24 April 2022.
  8. "Four places along China border identified for rail connectivity: Government". The Economic Times. 22 December 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  9. Manta, Dipender (22 June 2020). "Centre expedites land acquisition for Bilaspur-Leh railway line". Tribune India. Archived from the original on 23 June 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  10. "Budget 2012-2013 Speech of Dinesh Trivedi Minister of Railways. March 14, 2012" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  11. "'Manali–Leh railway line project report with Planning Commission'". Himvani.com. 26 December 2010. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. "Bilaspur-Manali-Leh rail line on fast track". The Times of India. 3 December 2016. Archived from the original on 4 December 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  13. "Centre announces final location survey of three railway lines in Arunachal Pradesh". The New Indian Express. PTI. 1 April 2017. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  14. Khosla, Sakshita (27 June 2017). "Train to Leh, Ladakh: Suresh Prabhu lays foundation stone for Bilaspur-Mandi-Leh Rail Line to be built at a cost of Rs 157 cr". India.com. Archived from the original on 29 June 2017.
  15. "Land acquisition for strategic rail line begins in Himachal". 9 February 2022.
  16. रेल विकास निगम: भानुपल्ली-बिलासपुर-लेह रेललाइन के लिए बिछने लगा ट्रैक, Amar Ujala, 15 May 2022.
  17. "The Srinagar-Kargil-Leh line is a proposed railway line from Srinagar station via the town of Kargil to Leh by Indian Railways. The line was designated a national project on 26 February 2013 - www.Rail-Pass.com". www.rail-pass.com. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  18. "US Dollar (USD) to Indian Rupee (INR) Historical Exchange Rates on 18th October 2018". www.exchangerates.org.uk. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  19. "Railways seeks central funding for Bilaspur-Leh project on India-China border". The New Indian Express. 18 October 2018. Archived from the original on 18 October 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
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