L&T arm to bag ₹3,338 crore rail project connecting Rishikesh, Karnaprayag

NEW DELHI: Construction arm of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is set to win about ₹3,338 crore contract for a railway project connecting Rishikesh and Karnaprayag in Uttarakhand, a person aware of the development said.

The heavy civil infrastructure business of L&T Construction has emerged as the lowest bidder for a package four of new broad-gauge line between Rishikesh and Karnaprayag. “L&T’s construction arm will bag the contract from Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd after financial bids concluded recently,” the person cited above said.

The scope of the engineering and construction project includes completing tunnel work a construction shaft and ancillary works in Uttarakhand.

The project, which is being executed by state-owned Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd will provide rail link connectivity between Rishikesh and Karanprayag and ease access to pilgrimage centre in Uttarakhand. It will also aid development of backward areas. The railway line goes across the rugged Himalayan terrain, with the alignment oriented across and sometimes sub-parallel to the major thrust zones of Himalaya with complex geological conditions.

The company is also engaged in the construction of Rishikesh-Karanprayag Tunnel 2 package, executed by RVNL. It will comprise consturction tunnels, bridges and formation works. The project was won in December 2019.

The Rishikesh-Karanprayag rail project is considered to be challenging as more than 84% of the total length of 125 km of the line consists of tunnels and 34 bridges. Indian Railways aims to complete the entire project by December, 2024.