Dehradun: The Rishikesh-Karnprayag Rail Project has been referred to by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami as the cornerstone of the state’s growth, connectivity, and successful future. By the end of 2026, the long-awaited train project’s first phase should be finished.

“The Rishikesh-Karnprayag Rail Project is not just a railway line but the foundation stone of development, connectivity and a prosperous future of the state,” Dhami said in an article on X.

“Under the leadership of the respected Prime Minister Shri @narendramodiji, Devbhoomi is now running on the track of development; every station, every tunnel and every bridge of this project is making the dream of a railway in the mountains come true,” said the chief minister.

According to train project authorities, the Rishikesh-Karnprayag rail project is 125 kilometres long. It features twelve stations and sixteen tunnels. By December 2026, the project should be finished. In Sewai, the Karnaprayag railway station is being constructed. On December 25, the 6.3-kilometre escape tunnel that connects Bhattnagar and Sewai in Gauchar was breached.

At Saraswati Vidya Mandir Inter College in Haridwar, Dhami took part in the Pratibha Samman Samaroh-2025 on Thursday. There, he officially opened a brand-new school building and a cutting-edge smart classroom.

The purpose of the event was to honour instructors’ commitment and kids’ academic achievement. For their exceptional academic achievement and services to the area of education, CM Dhami honoured a number of deserving students and teachers.

The Chief Minister stated, “When the country was standing on its feet after independence, keeping in mind the spirit of nation-building, the Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan, as an affiliate organisation of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, planted a sapling in the form of Saraswati Shishu Mandir, which has today become a huge banyan tree and is working to take the country forward by educating our children in every corner of the country.”

According to CM Dhami, “Vidya Bharati operates over 12,000 schools nationwide, providing education to over 35 lakh students.” In the realm of higher education, Vidya Bharati operates over 50 colleges and a university where students are taught modern subjects while also developing a sense of civic duty, morality, cultural preservation, environmental conservation, and social responsibility.