India, June 19 -- Chandigarh

The Centre has revived the long-pending Qadian-Beas railway line project, which will connect Qadian in Gurdaspur district with Beas in Amritsar district, nearly a century after it was first conceived during the British era.

Announcing the revival on Thursday, minister of state for railways Ravneet Singh Bittu said the 39.68-km broad-gauge corridor will be built at an estimated cost of Rs.1,400 crore. He did not specify any commencement or completion date for the project.

"The proposed alignment will pass through the important towns and villages of Qadian, Dhapai, Ghuman, Butala, Sathiala and Beas, bringing several areas of the Majha belt onto the railway network and significantly improving mobility for loca...