'India's longest-pending rail project': Train to this Punjab village delayed by 40 years; Rs 2,000 crore project limps at 87% completion

Time of India

2 days ago

Hurdles like land acquisition, environmental clearances, and relocation of utilities in
Punjab
have slowed the completion of the railway line — from
Nangal Dam
to Talwara — making it one of the longest-pending projects in the country
Can you tell us when the train will come?' Jatinderpal Singh, 62, asks, with the leaden tone of one who knows the answer. After all, he was a boy when he first asked this question. His village, Bringali, situated on the banks of the Beas in Punjab's Talwara, some 200km from Chandigarh, is a dusty dot on a nearly four-decade-old railway plan.
Sanctioned in 1981-'82 and initiated in the summer of 1985, the central govt project involves laying a new broad-gauge railway line from Nangal Dam to Mukerian via Talwara.
At an estimated cost of over Rs 2,000 crore, the project aims to provide seamless rail connectivity in the hilly regions of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. Progress has crawled to 87% after four decades, making it one of the longest -pending projects in the country.
Hurdles in land acquisition, environmental clearances, and relocation of utilities in Punjab have taken the steam out of the work.
Now, there is a renewed attempt to pump some energy into the project. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has himself reviewed the project and warned against further delays even as residents remain sceptical. At present, it is stalled in the Mukerian-Talwara range due to problems in obtaining permission for digging in Punjab.
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For the project's completion, Punjab needs to expedite the acquisition of approximately 72 hectares of land. Additionally, the railways, the state govt, and the environment ministry must accelerate forest clearance for the extraction of earth in the state. Sources say the railway ministry has taken up the issue with the environment ministry. While the paperwork drags on and the project crawls, another generation has filled the gap years, and a new set of youngsters is hearing of the train that will come someday.
Dream Deferred
Jatinderpal, whose family has stayed in Bringali for 300 years, says: 'Our hopes were raised when surveys were conducted in 1976 to acquire land for the construction of an elevated rail corridor from Daulatpur Chowk in Himachal to Talwara. I was so young, and we were so enthusiastic about the project that each day we used to accompany the project teams to watch them work on demarcation lines. We can still point out the spots,' he told TOI .
Point pillars were installed back then to demarcate the land, and the project was formally notified in 1981. 'The project was to be initiated in 1985, and some construction started, but look around, and look at me. I am 62 years old and still waiting for the train to arrive,' he said.
So far, a 60km section from Nangal Dam has been completed and is operational up to Daulatpur Chowk. Work is progressing rapidly on the remaining 23.7km elevated corridor between Daulatpur Chowk and Talwara, which is almost 50% complete.
However, sources in the railways ministry confirmed that a critical 2.5km to 3km stretch of land near Talwara is still pending acquisition, posing the final hurdle to the project.
For many, the rail line is not just infrastructure — it's a dream deferred. 'I'm nearly 70, still waiting to ride the train through my village,' said a local landowner.
'Unequal Terms'
Dissatisfaction over compensation remains a sore point. Many landowners allege they were paid far below fair value for their property.
'In Himachal, land was acquired at Rs 1 lakh per marla (25.3 sqm), while in Punjab we were offered only Rs 8,500 per marla,' said a landowner. Several residents have refused to accept the compensation and have moved acourt, demanding either higher payouts or land pooling in exchange.
While some payments have already been disbursed, residents from villages near Talwara are pressing for a more equitable settlement. 'We are not against the project,' said a farmer, 'but we want justice.
Give us land against land or pay us fairly.'
Wait May End Soon
The rail link is being built by three major construction firms — NP Jain Construction Company, RKC Company, and HMM Infrastructure — with RKC handling the bulk of the elevated corridor. Despite delays and disputes, officials remain optimistic that the railway line will be completed by Dec 31, 2027. Those who have waited four decades say they can wait two more years, but you can sense the scepticism in their tone.
In the last monthly Pragati meeting, a web-based platform aimed at ensuring the timely implementation of govt initiatives, PM Modi reviewed this project along with two others — the North Koel Reservoir Project in Bihar-Jharkhand, and the 5th Stream Refinery Expansion at Nalco's plant in Odisha, delayed by six years and one year, respectively.
In the meeting with secretaries at the state and central level, the officials concerned were directed to expedite the projects, said sources. The PM underlined that delays in project execution came at the 'dual cost of escalating financial outlays and denying citizens timely access to essential services and infrastructure.'
Officials said that unhappy with the inordinate delay, the Prime Minister would take a separate review of the project this month.