Chenab Bridge: 8 Must Know Facts About World's Largest Railway Bridge

The Chenab Bridge will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. The bridge is a major feat of modern engineering and it is in line with the government's commitment to boost rail infrastructure and connectivity in the region.

Considered as the world's largest railway bridge, it is a part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link, a 272-kilometre-long project

Here are some must-know facts about the project:

The railway bridge spans the Chenab River at a height of 359 m (1,178 ft) above the river, which is 35 meters taller than Paris' Eiffel Tower.

The architectural marvel Chenab Rail Bridge is a 1,315-metre-long steel arch bridge engineered to withstand seismic and wind conditions.

A key impact of the bridge will be in enhancing connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar. Through Vande Bharat train moving on the bridge, it will take just about 3 hours to travel between Katra and Srinagar, compared to the current 6-7 hours by road.

The arch bridge between Bakkal and Kauri in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir is 1,178 feet above the riverbed, forming a crucial link from Katra to Banihal. It is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL), a dream project worth Rs 35000 crore.

The project was approved in 2003 but was delayed shortly due to fears of stability and safety. In the year 2008, the contract for constructing one of the highest railway bridges was awarded.

The tests that have been conducted to check the stability and safety of the world's highest bridge include high-velocity winds test, extreme temperatures test, earthquake-prone test and hydrological impacts due to water level increase.

The bridge will be able to withstand winds with speeds up to 260 kmph and will have a lifespan of 120 years. The construction of the highest railway bridge was the biggest civil-engineering challenge faced by any railway project in India in recent history.

Engineers have built the arch with the help of two mammoth cable cranes installed on both banks of the Chenab -- the Kauri end and the Bakkal end.