Taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Jammu and Kashmir will soon get a 1.315-km long bridge built at a dizzying height of 359 metres. The first track mounted vehicle (trolley) run was successfully conducted on Sunday in the presence of Ashwini Vaishanaw, minister of railways
Worlds highest railway bridge over Chenab river in Jammu, almost ready, Track linking activity over the Chenab Bridge has been completed.
Some track and overhead wire-related works remain, which will be likely to complete by end of this year. The bridge is part of Udhampur - Srinagar - Baramulla Rail Link Project (USBRL). Railway minister also travelled on the track mounted trally with railway officials and inspected the iconic bridge having the height of 359 meters from the bed of river Chenab.
Foundation of hte bridge equal to half of a football field
Vaishnaw said that the decision has been taken to set up Vande Bharat Express train maintenance facility at Badgam in Kashmir Vally and in the first go Vande Bharat Metro will be run between Jammu-Shringar cities once this important railway link, which will connect Kashmir Vally with railway network, in the rest of the country will be completed
Vaishnaw said that the iconic bridge having foundation equal to half of the football field is a "subject of pride" and it was "difficult challenge of engineering", while over 28,000 metric tons of steal used for the bridge structure that is built in highly active seismic zone.
Construction of the bridge started in 2005
According to Northern railway officials, the arch bridge was constructed at a cost of ₹1,486 crores. Construction work of the bridge was started in 2005. Its consumes over 13 million man work hours till the date.
The deck height of the bridge is 359 meters, while the length of it is 1.315 km. The arch bridge has 17 spans and the linear length of main arch span is 460 meters and curvilinear, they said. The codal life of the bridge is 120 years and the bridge can withstand the wind speed of 266 kmph, but the train can cross the bridge at the speed of 100 kmph.
Overarch of the deck completd with golden joint in August 2022
Prior to the construction of the Bridge, 260 meter approach roads and 400 meters long tunnel was built to reach the site. Cable crane was commissioned in 31st August 2013 for erection of steel arch, trestle and piers. Incremental launching over 2.74 degree circular and transition curve of 268 meter length was successfully done for the first time in Indian Railways in November 2017.
The overarch deck of the bridge was completed with a ‘Golden Joint’ in August last year, marking the bridge's major achievemnet and further making way for the laying of the track. The construction of this highest railway bridge of the world was one of the biggest civil-engineering challenge faced by any railway project in India in the recent past.
