August 05, 2008, BS reported that, in a major move to push tourism in the hill states and counter Chinese expansion in the Tibetan region, union railways ministry has prepared a blueprint to set up an ambitious 480 kilometer long Manali Leh railway line link in the treacherous mountains in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.

The project will cost over INR 16,000 crore and the ministry is already preparing a detail survey plan for the project. The distance will be traversed in around ten hours.

A senior railway ministry official said that "A detailed survey plan for the proposed Manali Leh railway line has been prepared and is under the active consideration of the railway board. The expenditure for the survey will be shared jointly by the Himachal Pradesh government and the centre."

The plan is to lay a broad gauge railway track between Jogindernagar and Manali via Mandi and extend it 480 kilometer further to Leh via the Rohtang pass and beyond. The security concerns are a key reason for building the train line.

Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal chief minister of Himachal Pradesh said that "With China building the Beijing Lhasa railway track, it is critical for India to respond and build the Manali Leh route both from the security and tourism point of view of India. I have just returned from Leh and the response I received from the people of Ladakh has been tremendous. The private sector is already showing a keen interest in building this railway track."

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