**SHIMLA, August 2025** — The Himachal Pradesh government is providing full cooperation with the central government to implement key railway projects in the state, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri has stated, rejecting criticism by opposition parties regarding delays and cost overruns.

For the Bhanupalli-Bilaspur-Beri railway line (63.5 km), Himachal has so far contributed ₹847 crore. Due to delays, the total project cost has ballooned to approximately ₹6,753 crore, with the state’s share rising to ₹2,583 crore, which includes land acquisition costs of about ₹1,210 crore. Of the required ~123-124 hectares in Himachal, around 80 hectares have been acquired. Expenditure to date is ≈ ₹5,205-₹5,251.8 crore, with outstanding dues from the state government of (depending on source) ₹1,351-₹1,789.6 crore. The project up to Bilaspur is expected to be completed by December 31, 2027.

Progress is also reported on the Chandigarh-Baddi rail line, spanning ~30.28 km, at a project cost of ~₹1,540.11 crore. Himachal’s share is ₹363 crore, of which about ₹223 crore has already been paid to Northern Railway. The project is targeted for completion by April 30, 2026 under an equal cost-sharing model between the state and central governments. However, the state still has to deposit ₹178.95 crore of its share.

Meanwhile, the Nangal-Talwara rail line, approximately 122.57 km in total between Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, has largely been completed between Nangal and Daulatpur Chowk and is open for traffic. The line is entirely funded by the central government. Approximately 59.325 km of the total line length has been constructed in the Himachal / shared section so far.

Source: Times of India