Railways completes arch closure of Chenab bridge

The Railways on Monday said it had completed the arch closure of the 1315m Chenab bridge, the world’s highest railway bridge.

Terming it one of the biggest civil engineering challenges faced by any project in India, the Railways added that at 359m above the river bed level, the bridge would be 35 metres higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

The Chenab bridge is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project (USBRL) and completion of the steel arch is an important construction milestone. “This was one of the most difficult part of the bridge over Chenab. This achievement is a major leap towards the completion of the 111-km-long winding stretch from Katra to Banihal,” the Railways added.

The arch consists of steel boxes, which will be filled with concrete to improve stability.

The bridge is being built at a cost of ₹1,486 crore and can withstand high wind speed up to 266 km per hour.