Goa, Nov. 8 -- India has finalized plans for a landmark infrastructure venture in the Himalayas: the 489-kilometer Bilaspur-Manali-Leh railway line. Estimated at Rs.1.31 lakh crore, the proposed project includes a station situated at an altitude of approximately 5,359 meters (17,244 feet) above sea level. If constructed, the proposed Tengla station in Ladakh-located just beneath the Tanglang La mountain pass-would eclipse China's Tanggula station (5,068 meters) by 188 meters to become the highest railway station in the world.

The Railway Ministry has completed the preliminary survey and prepared the Detailed Project Report (DPR), though formal construction approval remains pending. Designed to overcome steep mountain gradients, extreme w...