The Union Cabinet approved the Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib Ropeway project on Wednesday, March 5. Chaired by Prime Minister Modi, the cabinet approved ropeway aims to span nearly 13 kilometres with a budget of Rs 4,081 crore. On the other hand, Hemkund Sahib will cost Rs 2,730 on an estimate.

Reducing the current travel time by nearly eight hours, this ropeway project will allow devotees, visitors and travelers to reach Kedarnath in nearly 40 minutes as shared in a cabinet briefing by Union Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw.

The project is being executed by a public-private partnership and will adopt the reliable and efficient Tri-cable Detachable Gondola (3S) Technology. With a capacity of more than 1,500 passengers per hour in one direction, the Kedarnath ropeway will be able to transport 18,000 pilgrims in a day.

When will the Kedarnath Ropeway do?

The ropeway project connecting Sonprayag to Kedarnath will be a news of ease to pilgrims. Currently, the journey involves a challenging 16 km uphill trek which takes 8-9 hours on foot. Apart from cutting the travel time exponentially, it will also generate substantial employment opportunities during the construction and operation phase of the project.

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The fast connectivity is set to boom tourism allied industries like hospitality, travel, food and beverage throughout the year. In an effort to create sustainable socio-economic development, the Rs 4000 crore will be an investment towards a technologically enabled temple-town. Visitors soon hope to visit Gaurikund, Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib with ease without worrying about the risks of an uphill trek.

This pilgrimage is a sought after journey among devotees and the ropeway project plans to provide convenience ensuring all-weather connectivity between Sonprayag and Kedarnath.