Bhanupli–Leh line


The Bhanupli–Leh line, including long Bhanupli-Barmana link and the long Bilaspur-Manali-Leh link, is an under-construction long wide broad-gauge all-weather electrified railway track connecting Bhanupli in Punjab, to Leh in Ladakh. Passing through seismic zone IV and V at an elevation of to above sea level, this geostrategically important track will reduce travel time from New Delhi to Leh to 10 hours, which takes 25–40 hours by road.

Significance

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 Sissu, Karu, Debring, Leh, and Sesharthang.

Details

Route

The project has 42 new stations, including 5 between Bhaupali to Barmana and 37 stations from Bilaspur to Leh and Sarthang.

Features

Bilaspur-Manali-Leh rail line, with a total length of, including the Leh-Sasherthang rail link, will cost ₹99,000 crore. This includes ₹62,000 crore for 62 tunnels totaling in length, 114 major bridges, and 90 minor bridges.
Bilaspur-Leh section will have 124 major bridges, 396 minor bridges, and 52% track passing through 74 tunnels. Since this track passes through sub-zero cold weather, the coaches will be pressurised to maintain oxygen level and will be heated, but there will be no sleeper class seats. Construction includes structure to mitigate landslides, cloudbursts, and avalanches in the 48% section running outside the tunnels.

Construction

Funding

According to the 2022 Detailed Project Report, project cost will exceed ₹1 lakh crore. Total 2200 hectares land, including 572 hectares, will be acquired at the cost of ₹11,500 crore. Bridges and tunnels will cost ₹62,000 crore including the large escape tunnels for ensuring passenger safety during emergencies. The project requires the acquisition of of land, of which 26% is forest land, at a cost of ₹11,500 crore. of approach roads will be constructed.

Sections

In March 2012, Ministry of Railways sent the project to the Planning Commission for appraisal. In December 2016, the the budget of ₹345 crore was approved for carrying out the Final Location Survey for Bhanupli–Leh rail, which finally begun in June 2017, and was completed by October 2020. In March 2025, the FSL and subsequent DPR for Bilaspur-Manali-Leh line were complete.

Section-0: Bhanupli to Barmana (Bilaspur), 63.1 km

The construction on this initial section 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.

Section-1: Barmana (Bilaspur) to Mandi

In May 2022, this section commenced with land acquisition between Barmana and Mandi.

Related connectivity

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. Srinagar-Kargil-Leh line,, a Rs 55,896 crore project., survey done, DPR on hold as of 2025.
  • * 1.1. Leh-Kargil rail line,.
  • * 1.2. Kargil-Srinagar rail line,.
  • 2. Pathankot-Leh line,, Rs 70,308 crore project, survey done, DPR being prepared in 2025.