Chenab Bridge: World’s tallest railway bridge inaugurated in Jammu and Kashmir; all you need to know
On August 13, 2022, the world’s highest single-arch rail bridge, built to connect disparate parts of Jammu and Kashmir, was inaugurated. After the overarch deck of the world’s highest single-arch railway bridge over the Chenab River is completed, Srinagar will be connected to the rest of India for the first time since independence.
About Chenab Bridge
The Chenab Bridge is now being built, and when completed, it will be 35 metres higher than the Eiffel Tower. The bridge will provide direct access to the Kashmir valley. The arch’s bridge superstructure was gradually being pushed from both ends of the River Chenab valley, and it would soon be joined in the middle.
The Chenab Bridge was a well-known structure that required intricate engineering to build. To get here, engineers and railway officials had to overcome obstacles such as the area’s geology, rough terrain, and hostile atmosphere.
Key technical data of the bridge include:
- Deck height (height above river bed): 359 m (1,178 ft), (height above river surface): 322 m (1,056 ft)
- Bridge length: 1,315 m (4,314 ft), including the 650 m (2,130 ft) long viaduct on the northern side
- Arch span: 467 m (1,532 ft)
- Arch length: 480 m (1,570 ft)
With the assistance of IISc Bangalore, the design and construction was awarded to Afcons Infrastructure, a subsidiary of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, India’s third-largest construction group. Konkan Railway Corporation made major construction decisions. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) assisted in the design of the bridge, which was made blast-proof with the use of special steel.
The Chairman and MD of Konkan Railway, Sanjay Gupta, said, “This has been a long journey. The term `Golden Joint` was coined by civil engineers… It`s the world`s highest railway bridge.”
Deputy Managing Director of Afcons, Giridhar Rajagopalan, said, “We can confidently state that the bridge would be roughly 98 per cent complete after the golden joint is finished.”
“When we completed the arch closure project last year, we felt a great sense of relief about our ability to complete the project accurately so that there was no mismatch. And that gave us a great deal of confidence to easily handle the project`s balance portion. We are excitedly anticipating the upcoming golden joint milestone with NR and KRCL,” Giridhar continued.
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