Rly begins survey for Bilaspur-Ranital track

Hamirpur, March 15

The Northern Railway has started a primary engineering and traffic (PET) survey to explore the technical and social feasibility of the rail line between Bilaspur and Ranital in Kangra district.

The length of the proposed railway track between Bilaspur and Ranital would be 100 km. This stretch would have 12 stations — three in Kangra district, six in Hamirpur and three in Bilaspur.

100-km stretch

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• The length of the proposed railway track between Bilaspur and Ranital will be 100 km
• The stretch will have 12 stations — three in Kangra district, six in Hamirpur and three in Bilaspur

Railway stations are proposed at Ranital (Jawalamukhi road), Balugloa, Jawalamukhi, Nadaun, Jatiala, Harkhalsa, Hamirpur, Bhota, Jari, Babheli, Panol and Bilaspur.

Earlier, there was a proposal to connect Hamirpur with Una. The railway authorities have now decided to connect Hamirpur with Bilaspur in the east and Ranital in the west. Notably, Ranital has a narrow-gauge rail track that is connected to Pathankot in Punjab and Jogindernagar in Mandi district. Meanwhile, the Chief Manager (Operations), Northern Railway, has sought an initial feasibility report from the Kangra Deputy Commissioner (DC) for conducting the PET survey.

He has asked the DC to provide information on various aspects that include names of important towns, existing means of transportation, number of buses plying, area population, agricultural produce and existing and proposed small, medium and large-scale industrial units in the region.

The railway authorities have also sought information about places of religious and historical importance and socio-cultural and economic status of people of the region.

Kangra Deputy Commissioner Nipul Jindal said the Northern Railway had asked for information about various aspects of the region for conducting a PET survey to lay the Ranital-Bilaspur rail track.