The arch of the world’s tallest railway bridge, which soars 359 meters over the bed of the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir, was completed on Monday, with the Northern Railways hailing the achievement as a watershed moment.
The 1.3-kilometer-long bridge is being built as part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link, it is being constructed at a cost of ₹ 1,486 crores. This project will improve connectivity to the Kashmir Valley.
The bridge, which is 35 meters higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris, is scheduled to be finished within a year, according to officials.
“It is a historic day for the Northern Railways and a significant step toward the completion of the USBRL program, which will link Kashmir to the rest of the world.” Northern Railway General Manager Ashutosh Gangal claimed that the project would be completed in two and a half years.
Via a video connection from Delhi, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal witnessed the lowering of the arch’s closure section by cable crane. Mr. Gangal and Konkan Railway Chairman and Managing Director Sanjay Gupta were among the senior officers who attended the function.
“The self-supporting arch is an engineering achievement that has taken us closer to our dream project’s target. We will proceed after the arch is completed, and we expect to finish the bridge within a year “Mr. Gangal said.
According to the Railway Ministry, the 5.6-meter final piece of metal (closure segment) was installed at the highest point of the arch on Monday. It said it linked the two arms of the arch that are currently stretching towards each other from both banks of the Chenab.
“This completed the arch’s shape. After the arch work is completed, the stay cables will be removed, the concrete in the arch rib will be filled, the steel trestle will be erected, the viaduct will be launched, and track laying will begin “According to the ministry.
According to Mr. Gangal, the bridge’s building would include the fabrication of 28,660 metric tonnes of steel, 10 lakh cubic meters of earthwork, and 66,000 cubic meters of concrete.
“The arch is made up of steel boxes that will be filled with concrete to increase support. The remaining cables that are currently holding the arch together will be removed until it has been self-supporting after the completion of the final component “Mr. Gangal said.
He said that the total weight of the arch is 10,619 metric tonnes and that “for the first time, the Indian Railways erected members of the arch using overhead cable cranes.”
In terms of protection, Mr. Gangal said that the bridge was built for blast load in collaboration with the Defence Research and Development Organisation. He claims that this is the first of its kind in the world and that it will continue to operate at a restricted speed of 30 kmph after one pier or trestle is removed.
According to Mr. Gangal, the bridge is designed to endure strong winds of up to 266 kmph and earthquake powers of the highest magnitude.
The chairman of the Konkan Railways Sanjay Gupta said that the real challenge was the construction of the arch which was completed on Monday.
“This bridge is 1,315 metres long and 359 metres above the river bed level, making it the tallest railway bridge in the world. It would be 35 metres taller than Paris’s iconic Eiffel Tower “According to the ministry.
