In Pics: Arch closure of the world's highest railway bridge over Chenab river completed
As per a statement by the ministry, it is arguably the biggest civil-engineering challenge faced by any railway project in India in recent history.
The Indian Railways on Monday (April 5) completed the Arch closure of the iconic Chenab Bridge, the world’s highest railway bridge, which is a part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project (USBRL).
The ministry in a statement said that the bridge is designed for blast load in consultation with the DRDO for the first time in India and can withstand high wind speed up to 266 km per hour and bear earthquake forces of the highest intensity zone-V in India, reported ANI.
The ministry has also said that the bridge will remain operational at a restricted speed of 30 km per hour even after the removal of one pier/trestle.
The Arch closure was one of the most difficult parts of the bridge over Chenab and its completion is a major leap towards the completion of the 111 km-long winding stretch from Katra to Banihal, the ministry said in a statement.
(Photo source: ANI)
As per a statement by the ministry, it is arguably the biggest civil-engineering challenge faced by any railway project in India in recent history. The 5.6-meter last piece of metal was fitted at the highest point on Monday (April 5) and joined the two arms of the arch that currently stretch towards each other from both the banks of the river. This completed the shape of the arch that will then loom over the treacherous Chenab, flowing some 359 meters below, reported ANI.
(Photo source: ANI)
After the completion of the arch work, removal of the stay cables, filling of the concrete in the arch rib, erection of the steel trestle, launching of the viaduct, and track laying work will be taken up. According to the ministry, the arch consists of steel boxes. Concrete will be filled in boxes of the Arch to improve stability. The overall weight of Arch is 10,619 MT. Erection of the members of the arch by overhead cable cranes was done for the first time on Indian Railways.
The Rs 1,250 crore long Chenab Bridge will be 1.315 km long and is set to be highest railway bridge in the world. It is 359m above the river bed level and will be 35 meters higher than the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. It involves the fabrication of 28,660 metric tonnes of steel, 10 lakh cum rarthwork, 66,000 cum concrete, and 26 km motorable roads.
"At present, it takes 12 hours via road (Katra-Banihal), but after completion of the bridge, distance via train would be halved. The completion is expected in two years," Northern Railway General Manager Ashutosh Gangal told ANI. The Udhampur-Katra (25 km) section, Banihal-Qazigund (18 km) section and Qazigund-Baramulla (118 km) section of the line have already been commissioned.