Chenab Bridge: World's tallest railway bridge inaugurated in Jammu and Kashmir; all you need to know

On Saturday, the tallest single-arch rail bridge in the world was opened to the public, connecting two separate regions of Jammu and Kashmir. Srinagar will finally be connected to the rest of India for the first time since independence when the overarch deck of the world's tallest single-arch railway bridge over River Chenab is opened to traffic.

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The Golden Joint: Deck launching work of the world’s highest Railway Arch Bridge, Chenab Bridge completed. pic.twitter.com/nrGF0Mrm6R

— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) August 13, 2022

The bridge superstructure on the arch was slowly being pushed from both ends of the River Chenab valley, and it would soon be joined in the middle.

The Chenab Bridge was a well-known structure that required complex engineering to complete. Engineers and railway authorities had to overcome obstacles such as the area's geology, its rough terrain, and its hostile atmosphere to reach here.

Speaking to ANI, Sanjay Gupta, Chairman and MD, Konkan Railway said, "This has been a long journey. The term 'Golden Joint' was coined by civil engineers... It's the world's highest railway bridge."

"We can confidently state that the bridge would be roughly 98 per cent complete after the golden joint is finished," said Giridhar Rajagopalan, Deputy Managing Director of Afcons.

"When we completed the arch closure project last year, we felt a great sense of relief about our ability to complete the project accurately so that there was no mismatch. And that gave us a great deal of confidence to easily handle the project's balance portion. We are excitedly anticipating the upcoming golden joint milestone with NR and KRCL," Mr Rajagopalan continued.

Currently under construction, the world's tallest railway bridge will stand 35 metres above the Eiffel Tower when completed. In addition to the Chenab Bridge, Afcons is constructing 15 more railway bridges for Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) in the volatile region of Jammu and Kashmir. The Udhampur, Srinagar, and Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) includes all of these bridges.

As part of the 16 KRCL bridges project, Afcons has just completed concreting the main deck slab of a bridge that is taller than the Qutub Minar. The whole 1,550 cum of concrete for all four floors was poured in less than 70 days.

Sangaldan, in Jammu and Kashmir, is a high mountain that rises more than 90 metres over the surrounding farmland, and here is where the whole incident took place.

(With inputs from ANI)