Coming soon! World’s highest rail bridge over River Chenab in Kashmir

An engineering marvel will connect one of the most remote parts of the country in Jammu and Kashmir with the mainland. It is being built on the Katra-Banihal railway line at village Kauri in the Reasi district.

Here are some interesting architectural details about the bridge.

1. The 1.315-km long bridge is being built above the Chenab River at a height of 359 meters, 35 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

2. 63 mm-thick special blast-proof steel sourced from the Bhilai steel plant is used to withstand any major blast.  

3. The concrete pillars include a 1.2-meter-wide central verge and a 14-meter-wide dual carriageway. It would withstand explosions, earthquakes, and wind speeds of up to 260 kmph. It is painted with a special corrosion-resistant paint, which lasts for 15 years.

4. The arch is two-ribbed and fabricated from large steel trusses.

5. The girder plates are eight-meter-long each. A total of 161 specially fabricated girders will be used.

6. Around 24,000-plus tons of steel will be utilized for the construction.

7. An online monitoring and warning system will also be installed.

8. The bridge will also have cycle trails and footpaths

9. Sensors on the bridge will check the wind velocity: as soon as the wind speed exceeds 90 kmph, the signal on the track will turn red, preventing train movement.

10. Self-compacting concrete is being utilized for filling steel boxes as well as for ends of plate girders.