Jammu, Apr 26 : Union Minister of State for Railways, Darshana Jardosh, along with a team of Northern Railways and KRCL, inspected the Chenab Bridge in Jammu and appreciated the quality of work executed. During the inspection, SP Mahi briefed the minister about the progress of the project, highlighting that the Indian Railways is inching closer to connecting the Kashmir Valley to the rest of the railway network. The track linking on the Chenab Bridge, which is the world’s highest railway bridge, was completed on March 21, 2023, after successfully completing milestones of arch closure on April 5, 2021, and golden joint on August 16, 2022.
The Chenab Bridge is part of the Katra-Banihal stretch of the USBRL, the most challenging part of the project due to its complex topography and adverse weather conditions. The USBRL project is a total of 272 km, with 161 km of railway track already commissioned in three stages. The first phase of 118 km Baramulla-Quazigund was commissioned in 2009, the second phase of 18 km Quazigund-Banihal was commissioned in 2013, which has the longest operational transportation tunnel of 11.2 km in India. The third phase of 25km Udhampur-Katra was commissioned in 2014.
The Chenab Bridge is being constructed at a height of 359 meters above sea level, making it the tallest railway bridge on the planet, with a length of 1315 meters and a central arch span of 467 meters. The bridge has been designed for a wind speed of 266 Kmph and is built using 28660 MT of steel and more than 67000 cum of concrete. It also has several unique features, including a concrete-filled arch used for the first time in India, power-operated cars for inspection and maintenance of the bridge, a continuous health monitoring and warning system, and a cable crane assembly used for the erection of steel members of the bridge with a span of 915 meters, one of the longest in the world.
The bridge is designed to bear earthquake forces of zone V and is equipped with a Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing machine used for the inspection of welds. For the first time, an NABL (National Accreditation Board for Laboratories) accredited lab has been set up at the site for testing welded elements in Indian Railways. The highest steel pier at 169 m at the S-40 foundation is higher than Qutab Minar of 72m and is the highest pier constructed over Indian Railways. This project was declared a “National Project” in 2002, and the bridge is being constructed by Chenab Bridge Project Undertaking (AFCONS-ULTRA-VSL JV), with AFCONS as the lead partner.
