The Chenab Bridge as an engineering excellence, world's highest railway arch bridge in india. It is standing tall at 359 meters above the Chenab River in Jammu & Kashmir. Being a proud Indian Engineer, I'm truly inspired by the inauguration of the Chenab Railway Bridge on 6th June 2025.
The Chenab Rail bridge is the part of "Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL)" project to connect the kashmir valley with the rest of india by Rail Line.
Key Highlights : Chenab Rail Bridge
Height : 359 meters (35m higher than the Eiffel Tower!)
Length : 1,315 meters (467 m main arch span) Across the Chenab river.
Location : Span between Bakkal and kauri in the Reasi District of Jammu & Kashmir.
Designed lifespan : 120 years
Construction Materials : Built by 28,000 metric tonnes of Corrosion resistant steel and 66,000 cum concrete and 84 km of cables & bolts.
Seismic Design : Seismic Zone- IV, Integrated with blast proofing and seismic stabilization, Earthquake resistance upto 8.00 Richter Scale.
Wind Resistance : up to 260 km/hr.
Structural Stability : Supported by 17 Massive spans and steel piles upto 134m tall. Build for 120 Years Lifespan & Supporting speed upto 100 km/hr.
Builder : Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. (KRCL) with Afcons Infrastructure and DRDO.
The Challenges : Chenab Rail Bridge
Building this bridge was incredibly difficult because of the tough terrain in the region. The team knew they needed an expert in rock engineering someone who understood how to work with difficult rocky ground.
1. Geological and Topographical Extremely rugged terrain
2. Height and Wind
3. Temperature
4. Safety & Security
5. Engineering Techniques
Visual Timeline of Construction: Chenab Rail Bridge
2002 : Dec 2002, Project approved under USBRL, initial groundwork begins.
2008 : Construction halted due to alignment and safety concerns.
2010 : Work resumes with redesigned alignment.
2017 : Jan 2017 to Nov 2017 Groundwork: piers and slope stabilization completed.
2021 : April 2021, achieved Major arch closure (golden joint).
2022 : August 2022, Full structural completion and inauguration of the bridge structure.
2023 : Feb 2023 to Mar 2023 Track laying over the bridge completed.
2024 : June 2024, Trial runs successfully conducted.
2025 : 6 June, 2025, Official launch for commercial services.
Reason behind Delay : Chenab Rail Bridge
The team had to use a "design-as-you-go" approach. This means they couldn't plan everything in advance because they kept discovering new problems as they dug deeper:
- Fractured (broken) rocks.
- Hidden caves and empty spaces underground.
- Different types of rock with different properties.
- Problems that early surveys hadn't detected.
Every time they found a new geological problem, Professor Latha's team (IISc Banglore) had to come up with new solutions on the spot.
Roles & Companies Involved : Chenab Rail Bridge
Construction JV : Afcons, Ultra (Korea), VSL India.
Executing Body : Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL)
Alignment Review : Amberg Engineering
Structure & Foundation Design : WSP Group, Leonhardt Andrä & Partner
Pylon Design + Cables : VCE Consult ZT-GmbH, Jochum Andreas Seiltransporte
Technical Oversight : AECOM, URS (proof for superstructure), COWI (proof for arch)
Wind & Seismic Studies : Force Technology (wind), ITASCA, IIT Delhi & IIT Roorkee (stability, seismic)
Foundation Protection : IISc Bangalore
Security Design : DRDO
Materials & Coatings : Essar Steel, Mageba (bearings), AkzoNobel (paint)
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