CHANDIGARH: With less than six months left for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, the BJP-led Union government has approved a detailed estimate of Rs 1,419.05 crore for the 39.68-km Qadian-Beas broad gauge railway line in Punjab.
The British-era project was first approved in 1928-29 by the then North-Western Railway, and construction had progressed substantially by the early 1930s before it was discontinued.
Senior BJP leader and former Union minister of state for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu said the project was formally revived in June 2026 at an estimated cost of around Rs 1,400 crore. The latest Railway Board sanction has placed the detailed estimate at Rs 1,400 crore, he said.
“During my tenure as Union minister, I repeatedly took up the matter with the railway ministry and officials and pushed for the defreezing of the project so that this long-pending rail link could move towards implementation. In June 2026, the government formally announced the revival of the 39.68-km Qadian-Beas line at an estimated cost of around Rs 1,400 crore. The latest Railway Board sanction has placed the detailed estimate at Rs 1,400 crore.”
Bittu said the railway line would pass through Qadian, Dhapai, Ghuman, Butala, Sathiala and Beas, connecting several underserved areas of the Majha region to the railway network.
“The railway line will pass through Qadian, Dhapai, Ghuman, Butala, Sathiala and Beas, bringing several previously underserved areas of the Majha region onto the railway network. The benefits of the project will extend well beyond the immediate alignment. Gurdaspur and Batala will gain substantially from improved access to the railway network through the Qadian corridor, while Beas will provide an important connectivity point towards the wider railway network. This will make movement of people, agricultural produce, traders, students and pilgrims easier besides strengthening economic linkages between towns and villages of the Majha region," Bittu said.
The project includes crossing stations at Ghuman and Butala, 11 major bridges, 121 minor bridges, 54 road underbridges, modern signalling and telecommunication systems and Kavach technology.
Bittu said land acquisition should now be the immediate priority and urged the Punjab government to complete the process without delay.
He said the state government could not cite lack of funds as a reason for delaying land acquisition.
“Up to Rs 3,725 crore is lying with the respective deputy commissioners for land acquisition. When the funds are available, the land has been identified, and demarcation has already been carried out, there is absolutely no reason for files to remain pending in government offices. The Centre and the Railways have done their job. The issue is now one of administrative will and execution, rather than availability of funds," he added.
Bittu also urged the chief secretary, deputy commissioners and SDMs to speed up the land acquisition process.
“I have repeatedly written to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann about all the ongoing railway projects and the need to expedite land acquisition and other state-level formalities, but I have received no response. My last letter was dated July 23, which specifically urged the state government to take immediate steps on land acquisition and related formalities. There has been no response so far," he said.
Punjab Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa welcomed the sanction, describing it as a landmark development for the Majha region. He said the project would improve connectivity, boost economic activity and support religious and spiritual tourism.
Bajwa said improved rail connectivity would help farmers and producers access markets, facilitate the movement of goods and passengers, strengthen trade and small-scale industries, generate employment and encourage investment. He also said it would improve connectivity for the Batala industrial belt and provide access to the wider Amritsar-Delhi railway network.
He said the project also had strategic importance as an alternative route to the Amritsar-Pathankot section during emergencies and contingencies. He said the additional railway route would strengthen transport and logistical connectivity in the region, given Gurdaspur’s proximity to the international border.
Bajwa said he had pursued the project as the Member of Parliament from Gurdaspur since 2010. The project was taken up for an updated survey under the 2010-11 Railway Budget’s “Socially Desirable Rail Connectivity” programme. Northern Railway records show that an updated survey was ordered in May 2010, followed by a joint meeting of Railway officials and Bajwa at Qadian on June 3, 2010.
He subsequently wrote to then Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on November 11, 2010, seeking her intervention to expedite the survey and forward its report to the Planning Commission so that preliminary work could begin. He also highlighted the project’s strategic importance due to Gurdaspur’s proximity to the international border.
Sources said that last year, the Chief Administrative Officer (Construction), Northern Railway, wrote to the state government that the Railway Board had sought the immediate “defreezing” of the project and resubmission of the detailed estimate for early sanction so that construction could begin.
The project resurfaced in the 2010 Railway Budget under the “socially desirable projects” category, which focuses on improving transport access irrespective of commercial viability. However, concerns raised by the Planning Commission again stalled its progress.
