Railway Board rejects long tunnel proposal for new Saharanpur Dehradun rail link

The Indian Railway Board has officially turned down the initial alignment plan for a proposed 81-kilometer railway project connecting Pilkhani and Dehradun via Maa Shakambhari Devi. Passengers and railway enthusiasts following infrastructure developments should note that the rejection stems from a 30-kilometer tunnel section in the draft blueprint, which officials found to be excessively long. Consequently, the Board has directed authorities to work on a fresh, revised alignment aiming to substantially minimize the tunnel length.

Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, provided these updates while addressing the Rajya Sabha on August 30, 2026. He confirmed that the survey for this crucial new 81-kilometer route from Saharanpur to Dehradun via Shakumbhari Devi has already been sanctioned, and the Detailed Project Report (DPR) is currently under preparation.

Project Approval Process and Stakeholder Consultations

While the survey and DPR preparation mark significant steps forward for regional connectivity, the final approval of the railway line is subject to several crucial clearances. According to the Ministry of Railways, project sanctioning depends heavily on continuous consultations with key stakeholders, including the respective state governments. Furthermore, formal approvals must be secured from major central bodies such as NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Finance before construction can move ahead. Regular commuters and travelers looking forward to improved travel times between Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand will need to wait for the revised alignment and subsequent clearances.