Indian Railway Ministry Planning To Develop Rail Network In Uttarakhand On The Lines Of Switzerland!

Ever thought about this- what’s common between Uttarakhand and Switzerland? Honestly, it’s not really some rocket science to fathom the similarity or commonality between two captivating pieces of land in the bounty of Mother Nature. The natural habitat, the abundance of natural beauty, the splendid lakes, and the panoramic view of the mountains, which during India’s peak winter season, give Uttarakhand the look of Switzerland form easy answers.

But if you do happen to observe the two regions, located millions of miles afar from one another, you’d note something peculiar.

You’d find that soon, maybe in the not so distant future, Uttarakhand could well have a new Railway network as also the ropeway network on the lines of Switzerland.

Usually, among the first responses when one’s quizzed generally about the Swiss railway are answers like the timeliness and efficiency of operations. Just the kind of facet one would so like to see the Indian railways follow.

But there’s yet more to the Swiss railway and the pattern of the ropeway and railway system that’s caught the attention of the Indian Railway Ministry.

Apart from the density of the Swiss railway, it’s the engineering standard and design of the entirety of the railway network that seems to have hit the soft spot here in India. It could be one of the reasons as to why the Indian Railway Ministry is planning to commission new railway projects on the lines of their revered counterparts in Central Europe.

Basis this, the Indian Railway network has confirmed to carry out a study to develop the Railway and Ropeway network in the beautiful region in India on the lines of the best practices being followed in Switzerland.

As on date, some interesting developments have already been given a green signal on the part of the Uttarakhand Railway. So what’s that and what is being planned as of now?

According to a report furnished by the Press Trust of India, Union Minister Mr. Piyush Goyal has, as on date, already sanctioned final location survey of the Indian Railways’ Tanakpur-Bageshwar line.

Moreover, a Railway publication shared the following details in connection with the said development:

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat previously requested the ministry to include the Tanakpur-Bageshwar railway line in the 2019-2020 financial year.

This track is expected to boost the region’s social and economic development.

Moreover, the railway minister has instructed officials in Uttarakhand to include another railway line on the Haridwar-Raiwala section and introduce a direct train service between Rishikesh and Dehradun.

An action plan will also be developed for the commercial utilisation of the old Rishikesh railway station.

All of that being said, the Indian Railways, one of the foundational pillars of pan-India travel in the country is undergoing a phase of experimentation and trial of new ideas in lines with the changing times. And just how’s that?

One of the salient features of this process, experienced in the last few months, was the successful trial run of an electric locomotive in the Northeastern state of Assam.