Archive · 15 Sep 2026
Delhi-Rishikesh Travel Could Fall as Himalayan Rail Projects Advance
Two railway projects could make travel from Delhi to Uttarakhand much faster.
One planned train route would connect Delhi with Rishikesh in about two to two and a half hours.
Another railway is being built from Rishikesh to Karnaprayag.
That trip could take about two to two and a half hours instead of six to seven hours by road.
Much of this railway will go through tunnels because the mountains are difficult to cross.
The line is about 75% finished and is expected to open by 2029.
Trains will not go directly to the Kedarnath or Badrinath temples.
Instead, passengers will use roads from nearby railway stations to reach those destinations.
The proposed Meerut-Rishikesh Namo Bharat corridor could connect Delhi to Rishikesh in about two to two and a half hours.
The 127-kilometre Rishikesh-Karnaprayag railway line is about 75% complete and is expected to open by 2029.
About 105 kilometres of the railway route will run through tunnels in the Himalayan terrain.
The railway could cut Rishikesh-Karnaprayag travel from six to seven hours by road to roughly two to two and a half hours.
The projects are expected to improve access to road routes for Kedarnath and Badrinath while benefiting residents, traders and tourism businesses.
- Who
- The projects involve the proposed Meerut-Rishikesh Namo Bharat corridor and the under-construction Rishikesh-Karnaprayag railway line.
- What
- The projects aim to improve rail access between Delhi-NCR, Rishikesh and Uttarakhand’s Garhwal and Char Dham regions.
- When
- The Rishikesh-Karnaprayag line is expected to become operational by 2029, with a section to Shivpuri-Biyasi targeted for 2028; Escape Tunnel-1 was completed on 11 September.
- Where
- The routes connect Delhi and Meerut with Rishikesh, then continue toward Karnaprayag through five Garhwal districts in Uttarakhand.
- Why
- They are intended to reduce travel times, improve access for pilgrims and residents, and lessen dependence on long, winding and sometimes landslide-prone mountain roads.
- Rishikesh-Karnaprayag route length
- 127 kilometres
- Tunnel length
- About 105 kilometres
- Construction progress
- Around 75% complete
- Expected opening
- 2029
- Earlier section target
- Shivpuri-Biyasi section expected in 2028
- Delhi-Rishikesh projected time
- About two to two and a half hours
- Rishikesh-Karnaprayag projected time
- About two to two and a half hours