Rail link to reduce Delhi-Dehradun travel time by half

New Delhi, Apr 30 (UNI) Travel time between Delhi and Uttaranchal capital Dehradun will be reduced to about three hours from the existing over six hours when the proposed direct rail link between Muzaffarnagar and Hardwar via Roorkee becomes operational.

Railway Minister Lalu Prasad has already accepted the proposal and a feasibility study on the rail route, a long-standing demand of the people of Uttaranchal, will be conducted soon.

Uttaranchal Chief Secretary M Ramachandran, who was here to attend a conference of chief secretaries, told UNI that Railway Board Chairman J P Batra will soon be visiting the state soon to work out the plan.

''At present it takes about six hours to travel to Dehradun from the national capital by train because of the circuitous route that takes one first to Saharanpur, then back to Roorkee, and finally to Hardwar,'' he said.

The proposed train route would reduce the distance by 60 to 80 kms and thus save about three hours, said the Chief Secretary.

The proposal was submitted to the Railway Minister when he recently visited Hardwar to attend inauguration of the Yoga University set up by Swami Ramdev.

''This rail route will be vital for the state in facilitating tourists and travellers, particularly pilgrims who come to the holy city of Hardwar from all parts of the country and abroad,'' he said.

Another railway project Uttaranchal wants is increasing the speed of trains on the Hardwar-Dehradun route. At present there is a limit of 55 km per hours for the trains running on the single track route.

''The Railway Board Chairman has also agreed to look into the proposal favourably,'' Mr Ramachandran said Improving train connectivity is high on the agenda of the Uttaranchal Government which is keen to develop a barrier-free system for the movement of people from different states.

Describing tourism as one of the three pivots of the state's economy--the other two being hydropower and agro-industry-- he said better transport linkages were a must for attracting more and more tourists to the state.

UNI NAZ/SKS SK DB1105