Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu layed the foundation stone for providing rail connectivity to Char Dhams in Uttarakhand in Badrinath today. With this, the final location survey has begun for laying a single broad gauge line to connect Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines.<br/><br/><br/>Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, Central Minister for Agriculture Radhamohan Singh and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion. The ambitious project involving construction of 327 km rail line will cost 43,292 crore rupees.<br/><br/>Under the project, 21 new stations will come up besides construction of 61 tunnels and 59 bridges. It is proposed to extend Rishikesh-Karnapryag rail line upto Joshimath near Badrinath in Chamoli, while the Kedarnath line will branch off at saikot near Karnapryag to connect Sonpryag. Rail connectivity to Gangotri and Yamunotri will be provided from Doiwala station in Dehradun. Rail Vikas Nigam has been entrusted with the task of carrying out the final location survey.