Bhanupli–Leh line. The Bhanupli–Leh line is an under-construction electrified railway track connecting Bhanupli, Punjab, to Leh, Ladakh. Once complete, the  long,  wide gauge all-weather track is stipulated to reduce travel time from New Delhi to Leh to 10 hours. The railway is to pass through seismic zone IV and V at an elevation of  to  above sea level.

The line, with a total length of , including the  Leh-Sasherthang rail link, will cost ₹99,000 crore (~US$12.4 billion). This includes ₹62,000 crore (~US$7.75 billion) for 62 tunnels totaling  in length, 114 major bridges, and 90 minor bridges.

Significance and features 

After the Jammu–Baramulla line, the Bhanupli–Leh line will be the most challenging railway project in Indian Railways due to high mountains, a large number of tunnels, high bridges, and severe cold weather. To cater to military logistics needs, the loop line will be constructed at five stations for the exclusive use of military loading and unloading at Karu, Sissu, Debring, Leh, and Sesharthang. The rail line will be extended  from Leh to Sesharthang.

Construction phases 

The project requires the acquisition of  of land, of which 26% is forest land, at a cost of ₹11,500 crore (~US$8.5 billion).  of approach roads will be constructed. The construction phases are:

 Phase 0: Bhanupli to Barmana in Bilaspur,  long link connecting Ladakh to Indian railway network at existing Bhanupli station of Ambala-Sirhind-Una rail line. As of February 2022, the expected completion date for this track is 2025.
 Phase 1: Barmana to Mandi 
 Phase 2: Mandi to Manali
 Phase 3: Manali to Upshi
 Phase 4: Upshi to Leh
 Phase 5: Leh to Sasherthang  link, included in the project at the request of the Indian military

Phase 0: Bhanupli to Barmana (Bilaspur), 63.1 km  

The initial construction phase is focused on connecting the existing Bhanupli railway station in the Rupnagar district of Punjab to Barmana in the Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh. It has a total track length of , 20 tunnels totaling , 24 bridges totaling , and 2 viaducts totaling .

There are five main stations in this phase: one in Punjab, at Thural; and four in Himachal Pradesh, at Dharot, Jagatkhana, Bilaspur, and Barmana.

Phase 1 

As of a land acquisition that took place in May 2022, phase 1 of this construction project that connects Barmana and Mandi is underway.

Formerly planned further extensions 

Originally, a couple of further extensions from Leh also were planned to be constructed at a later time.  However, in 2023 these were officially declared to be "shelved due to low traffic projection". They comprised the following.
 1. Leh-Srinagar rail line, , a Rs 55,896 crore project.
 1.1. Leh-Kargil rail line, .
 1.2. Kargil-Srinagar rail line, .
 2. Leh-Pathankot line, , Rs 70,308 crore project.

Status updates

 March 2012: The Ministry of Railways sends the project to the Planning Commission for appraisal.
 December 2016: The  Bhanupli–Leh rail Final Location Survey (FLS) approved at a cost of ₹345 crore. The railway requests adequate land to set up a camp office in Ladakh and the required infrastructure from the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC).
 June 2017: Railway Minister, Suresh Prabhu lays the foundation stone to mark the beginning of FLS. FLS to be completed by October 2020.
 December 2021: The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Leh-Sasherthang rail link (for military logistics) is completed.
 February 2022: Land acquisition begins in Bilaspur district for the (Barmana) Bilaspur to Mandi section of Phase-1.
 May 2022: The completion date for Phase-0 is 2025. Seven tunnels of Phase-0a (Bhanupli to Dharot) are complete; track-laying work has begun. Funds for Phase-0b (Dharot to Bilaspur) were allocated, and construction began.
July 2023: "Bilaspur-Leh line" final survey and DPR completed, no target completion date for construction given. Other 2 rail routes to Leh, "Leh-Srinagar line" & "Leh-Pathankot line", were surveyed but abandoned due to low traffic projections and consequent financial non-viability.

See also

 Highest railway stations of world
 India–China Border Roads
 Jammu–Baramulla line
 Strategic rail lines of India
 Transport in Ladakh
 Transport in Himachal Pradesh

References

External links
 Google map of the existing and planned route with additional spurs

Proposed railway lines in India

Rail transport in Punjab, India
Rail transport in Himachal Pradesh
Rail transport in Ladakh
5 ft 6 in gauge railways in India
Transport in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh
Transport in Leh
Proposed infrastructure in Himachal Pradesh
Proposed infrastructure in Ladakh