Rail Ministry's Himachal Plan: New Lines Progress, Key Project Stalled

• Himachal Pradesh is expanding its railway network with new projects, as announced by the Railway Ministry.
• The 60 km Nangal Dam to Daulatpur Chowk section is fully operational, with work progressing on Daulatpur Chowk-Talwara and Chandigarh-Baddi lines.
• The Bhanupalli-Bilaspur-Beri project is stalled due to the Himachal government's delay in providing land and pending financial contributions.
• A strategic 489 km Bilaspur-Manali-Leh railway line, including 270 km of tunnels, is under survey with an estimated cost of ₹1,31,000 crore.
• Railway budget allocation for Himachal has significantly increased, from an average of ₹108 crore (2009-14) to ₹2,716 crore (2025-26).

Why It Matters: Himachal's rail expansion faces delays due to state government's land and funding issues.