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Adani Enterprises has secured a Letter of Award from National Highways Logistics Management Ltd (NHLML). The company will build a ropeway between Sonprayag and Kedarnath at an investment of ₹4,081 crore.
The deets: the 12.9 km ropeway will be built by Adani’s roads, metro, rail, and water (RMRW) division. Once operational, it will cut the trek to Kedarnath from 8–9 hours of steep climbing to a 36-minute ropeway ride.
With a carrying capacity of 1,800 passengers per hour per direction, the project will serve the nearly 20 lakh pilgrims who make the journey every year. Adani will operate the project for 29 years after completion.
Why it matters: Kedarnath is one of India’s holiest shrines but also one of the toughest to reach. Harsh weather, narrow trails, altitude sickness, and overcrowding often make the trek dangerous, especially for elderly and differently-abled pilgrims.
The ropeway will improve safety, accessibility, and comfort while also creating better crowd management during the annual Yatra. Local tourism and allied businesses like hotels, shops, and transport services are expected to benefit too.
Big theme: ropeway projects are gaining traction across India as a sustainable transport option in hilly terrain. From Varanasi to Hemkund Sahib, projects worth thousands of crores are being rolled out under the Centre’s Parvatmala Pariyojana.
Yet, India still lags countries like Switzerland in ropeway density. With growing pilgrim traffic and tourism in the Himalayas, ropeways are increasingly seen as a mix of infrastructure, safety, and spiritual access and Kedarnath could set a benchmark.
