World’s highest railway bridge over the Chenab River in India’s union territory (UT), Jammu and Kashmir, is nearing its completion. The Chenab Bridge sits at 359 metres above the riverbed and is almost 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.
After taking decades to build this engineering marvel in northern India, the Indian Railways will make it operational by December 2023 or January 2024, as per the Ministry of Railways statement. Here’s all you need to know about the crucial link which will connect the ‘heaven on Earth’ with the rest of the country.
More details on the Chenab bridge
This 1.3 km-long bridge is a part of the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail link (UBSRL) project that aims to play a major role in connecting the Kashmir valley with Jammu and thereby linking it with the Indian mainland. Overall, the USBRL project has 38 tunnels and 931 bridges, with a combined length of 13 km.
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As per various reports, the bridge, which lies between Bakkal and Kauri villages in the Reasi district of the state, is stable enough to withstand wind speeds up to 266 kmph. Lying in a seismically active zone, it can bear earthquakes to the magnitude of 8 on the Richter scale. The bridge is made up of blast-proof steel and has a life span of 120 years, according to The Financial Express report. Trains can cruise on this link with a speed of 100 kmph.
Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw, who surveyed the bridge in March, also shared plans to construct a Vande Bharat train maintenance depot at Badgaon to facilitate the running of Vande Metro rake between Jammu and Srinagar.
The bridge, which perhaps is the greatest engineering challenge the Railways has undertaken since India’s independence in 1947, has alone consumed 28,000 tonnes of steel and cost the exchequer INR 1,400 crores (USD 171,403,234).
Once operational, the USBRL project will provide all-weather rail connectivity to Kashmir, which until now had only one land link, National Highway 44, with the rest of India. The project would not only help tourism but also provide impetus to other sectors such as industrial and agriculture.
About Anji Khad bridge
Another project under USBRL is Anji Khad Bridge, which, together with Chenab Bridge, forms a crucial link in boosting connectivity to Kashmir.
It is India’s first cable-stayed rail bridge, completed in just eleven months. The bridge comprises 96 cables with a total length of cable strands of 653 km. Vishnaw shared the news on April 28 about the project completion by tweeting a time-lapse video of the making of the Anji Khad bridge.
In 11 months, India’s first cable stayed rail bridge is ready.
All 96 cables set! #AnjiKhadBridge
PS: Total length of cable strands 653 km🌁 pic.twitter.com/CctSXFxhfa— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) April 28, 2023
Northern Railways Chief Public Relations Officer Deepak Kumar said, “History was created when India’s first cable-stayed rail bridge came up over Anji Khad in Reasi.” He shared that the launch of the superstructure is due in May, according to Hindustan Times report.
(Hero and feature image credit: Image credit: @Ankur_IIS/Twitter)
This story first appeared on travelandleisure.com
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Written By
Ayushi Anand
A post-graduate in journalism and mass communication, Ayushi is a digital writer who has worked with several Indian media organisations, including Times Internet Limited and Zee Media Corporation Limited, in the news, lifestyle and entertainment space. When she's not on her desk, she can be found dancing, trying new restaurants or packing her bags to ..Read More
