India's most ambitious mountain railway is 72 percent complete. The 125 km Rishikesh to Karnaprayag rail line will reduce travel time from 7 hours to just 2.5 hours. Expected completion December 2028. Here is what pilgrims and tourists need to know right now.
Every pilgrim going to Kedarnath, Badrinath and Char Dham knows the struggle of the mountain road. Landslides, traffic jams, narrow roads and 7 to 8 hour journeys from Rishikesh to Rudraprayag or Karnaprayag. The Rishikesh Karnaprayag Rail Line will change all of this forever. Here is the latest 2026 update on this game-changing project and what it means for travelers like you.
What Is The Rishikesh Karnaprayag Rail Line
The Rishikesh Karnaprayag Rail Line is a 125 km broad gauge railway line being built through the Garhwal Himalayas by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL). It will connect Yog Nagari Rishikesh station in the plains to Karnaprayag in the mountains. Once complete, it will reduce travel time from 7 to 8 hours by road to just 2 to 2.5 hours by train. This is one of the most complex railway engineering projects ever undertaken in India.
Project Facts
Total length: 125.20 km
Number of stations: 12
Total tunnels: 17 major tunnels, combined length over 104 km
Total bridges: 35 plus bridges across rivers and valleys
Tunnel percentage: 84 percent of the entire route runs underground through Himalayan rock
Total project cost: Rs 38,953 crore
Amount spent so far: Rs 26,841 crore as of January 2026
Executing agency: Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL)
Contractors: Larsen and Toubro (L&T), Hindustan Construction Company (HCC), Megha Engineering (MEIL) and others
12 Stations On The Route
Yog Nagari Rishikesh (already operational)
Muni Ki Reti
Shivpuri
Byasi
Devprayag (confluence of Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers)
Janasu
Maletha
Srinagar (Ranihat Naithan)
Dhari Devi
Gholtir
Gauchar
Karnaprayag (the final destination — will have 26 railway lines, largest station)
Current Progress — March 2026
Physical completion: 72 percent overall project progress achieved
Tunnel work: 201 km out of total 213 km of tunneling completed
Bridges: 8 major bridges fully completed
Mainline tunnels: 9 out of 16 mainline tunnels completed
Station development: Virbhadra and Yog Nagari Rishikesh stations are operational. Shivpuri and Byasi construction is ongoing. Devprayag, Janasu, Maletha and Srinagar stations are at tendering stage.
Karnaprayag station: Currently under tendering process. Designed to be the largest station on the route with 26 railway lines.
Revised Completion Date — Important Update
The original government target was December 2026. In November 2025, Rail Vikas Nigam Limited revised the realistic completion date to December 2028. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had originally announced December 2026 completion, but officials now confirm December 2028 is the more realistic target due to the extreme engineering challenges in Himalayan geology.
RVNL is working toward December 2026 for breakthroughs in the remaining tunnel sections. About 6 tunnel sections still need to be connected. The remaining excavation spans three stretches between Dhalwala and Neergaddu, Kaudiyala and Shivmurti near Teen Dhara, and Narkota and Gholtir.
Why This Matters For Char Dham Pilgrims
Today: Road from Rishikesh to Rudraprayag takes 5 to 6 hours. Karnaprayag takes 7 to 8 hours. Monsoon landslides can block roads for days.
After rail line: Train from Rishikesh to Karnaprayag in 2 to 2.5 hours. All weather connectivity — no more monsoon road closures. Devprayag, Rudraprayag and key Char Dham gateway towns all accessible by train.
For Kedarnath: From Karnaprayag it is 80 km by road to Sonprayag and the Kedarnath trek base.
For Badrinath: Karnaprayag is the gateway town for Badrinath road which is 90 km further.
This rail line is also the feeder route for the full Char Dham Railway project which will eventually connect Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath themselves to the railway network.
Engineering Highlights — Why This Is Special
The Rishikesh Karnaprayag Rail Line contains some of India's longest rail tunnels. Tunnel Number 8 between Devprayag and Janasu is approximately 14.57 km long, making it one of the longest rail tunnels in India. Building 17 tunnels through fragile Himalayan rock, across fault zones and near rivers requires extraordinary engineering precision. The project uses ballastless track technology for smooth mountain rides. Over 85 percent of the 125 km route runs underground, making this one of the most tunnel-heavy railways in Asia.
Strategic Importance
Beyond tourism and pilgrimage, this rail line is of national strategic importance. It provides all-weather military logistics access along the sensitive India-China border area in Uttarakhand. The project is tracked on the Central Government's PRAGATI portal as a priority infrastructure project.
What This Means For You Today In 2026
The rail line will not be open for passengers in 2026. Do not plan your 2026 Char Dham or mountain travel expecting train service. Road travel via Rishikesh and Haridwar remains the way to go for now. However, once complete, this will be the biggest improvement in Uttarakhand travel in decades.
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