There is a point at the Dehradun-Rishikesh highway, where Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat's favourite expression of "double-engine sarkar" appears in bold glimpses. To the left, there are shining fresh railway tracks, to the right, a bridge mushrooming over a seasonal riverbed. Just above the head, a flyover to ease traffic flow from Dehradun to Rishikesh.

The Centre and state team is weaving a formidable story of rail and road connectivity. Rawat is cooperating for its timely completion. This "double engine" after all is going literal.

"Gauchar Station: two platforms, a total of three lines, partly on bridge." Next. "Sivai (Karnaprayag): "three plus one goods; total number of lines — 10; partly in tunnel." These precise details could easily pass for stuff dreams are made of for the people of Pauri Garhwal and Tehri Garhwal in Uttarakhand.

In 2013 Uttarakhand floods, Gauchar (Chamoli district) played a vital role in the relief and rescue operations. For a moment, imagine, that "two platforms, a total of three lines" played a part in the relief and rescue operations shouldered by the brave men of the Indian Army, Air Force and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

A railway station, and a rail track running through Gauchar towards Karnprayag would be a working reality, expected by 2024.

Work on the ambitious Rishikesh-Karnprayag Broad Gauge Rail Link Project is progressing each day in order to be on track with the completion deadline of 2024. The details of the Gauchar station and the Karnaprayag station are targets to be met in the ambitious rail project which is set to transform Garhwal in Uttarakhand.

At Muni Ki Reti in Rishikesh, Shravan (name changed), one of the team members, prepares for a quick round up of a (stomach rumbling) journey and a story. He unveils a Google Earth depiction of the entire alignment Rishikesh-Karnprayag Rail Project before this author on a screen at the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) work pad.

He begins to move the mouse over the designated route and alignment.

The idea behind the exercise is to give this author a visual tour of the ambitious project which will move people through 16 meticulously-laid tunnels — 105. 47 km in length.

His mouse stops at the point where Devprayag station is depicted on the alignment map. It is here that the alignment will cross river Ganga, and the train will chug towards two more rail bridges, which will be built to cross the Alaknanada river.

The longest tunnel will be 15.8 kilometres and begin from Devprayag onwards and will stretch to Janasu.

Realising, I have put down the pen for a pause, betraying a sense of wonder and some emotion, Shravan looks back and tries to dig back a smile and some emotion.

He hails from this part of Uttarakhand. "Palayan kam hoga (out-migration will come down)." These three words that he utters reveal the entire essence of this project to the people hailing from and living in the region.