Even though India’s tension with China in Ladakh is decreasing, India is still working on future preparations. A part of this is that soon Indian Railways will be seen running to the China border in Uttarakhand. Which will be built from Tanakpur in Champawat district to Bageshwar via Pithoragarh. A 169 km long railway line will be built here which will go from Tanakpur to Bageshwar via Pithoragarh. The railway line to be built here will be about 169 km long, the survey work of which has also been completed.
Will pass through the Himalayan mountains
This railway line will pass through the high Himalayan mountains and go to Pithoragarh and Bageshwar bordering China. According to Railway Public Relations Officer Rajendra Singh, the new railway line is strategically very important because Pithoragarh district is connected to the international border with Nepal and China. Tanakpur is an area adjacent to the India-Nepal border and it is also India’s last railway station on the Nepal border in Uttarakhand.
16 hours journey in three hours
At present, there are 5 passes to reach China from the high Himalayan areas of Pithoragarh district. These include Lipulekh, Unta Jayanti, Lampiya Dhura, Levidhura, and Darma passes. All of these are located at an altitude of more than 5 thousand meters. Due to which it becomes very challenging for the Indian Army to deliver supplies to these areas quickly.
If one goes from Tanakpur to the China border via Pithoragarh by road, it may take more than 16 hours. But now after the laying of the new railway line, this work will be done in two to three hours.
The British also did the survey 150 years ago
The British had surveyed the Tanakpur-Bageshwar railway line for the first time about 150 years ago i.e. in 1882. Because at that time the people of this area of Uttarakhand used to do border trade with Tibet. Even at that time it had great strategic and trade importance.
