Currently, Trans-Himalayan Railway Private Ltd is working on extending the existing Pathankot-Jogindernagar railway line to Manali, Keylong, Pang and finally Leh. “The proposal for the 460-km rail line, which will cover elevations between 1,000 and over 5,000 metres, will have on-surface tracks as well as over 200 tunnels going up to 215 km. Currently, the estimated cost is around Rs 53,500 crore and the project is expected to take 96 months to complete,” says Rakesh Saran Mathur, CEO of the company.

Nonetheless, it is somewhat surprising that a private company is willing to take up a project that has a high risk of being economically unviable. Mathur, however, confirms that the mineral potential in the cold deserts of Lahaul-Spiti, apart from tourism and other developmental and industrial projects, could make the undertaking well worth the risks involved.

“The project can be viable once the railway line is laid and companies that will be made partners take up mineral exploration works in Lahaul-Spiti. Hydel projects coming up in the area will also be benefited,’’ he says.

Earlier, in his letter written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the CM had sought the conversion of the Pathankot-Jogindernagar line into a broad gauge line. He even asserted that the project could not be shelved — despite a whopping estimated cost of Rs 1,000 crore — since it was a matter of “national security”.