Chenab Railway Bridge and Anji rail bridge

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Chenab Railway Bridge and Anji rail bridge on 6 June in Jammu and Kashmir.

Chenab Rail Bridge

• The architectural marvel Chenab Rail Bridge, situated at a height of 359 meters above the river, is the world’s highest railway arch bridge.
• It is a 1,315-metre-long steel arch bridge engineered to withstand seismic and wind conditions. It is 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower.
• 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, reducing existing travel time by 2-3 hours.
• It is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project.
• The USBRL project, built at an estimated cost of ₹43,780 crore, features 36 tunnels stretching 119 km and 943 bridges.
• It offers all-weather rail connectivity between Kashmir and the rest of India. The completion of this mega project is seen as a turning point for regional development and national integration.

Anji Bridge

• The Anji Bridge is India’s first cable-stayed rail bridge that will serve the nation in a challenging terrain.
• The Anji Khad Bridge, built by Konkan Railway, is India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge, located in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.
• This engineering marvel spans 473 meters across the Anji River, a tributary of the Chenab.
• It spans the deep Anji River valley, south of the Chenab, connecting the Katra Banihal section of the Udhampur Srinagar Baramulla Rail Line.
• About 80 kilometres from Jammu city, the bridge is set against a striking backdrop of snow-covered peaks.
• Towering 331 metres above the riverbed and stretching 725 metres across, it is anchored by 96 high tensile cables.
• At its heart stands an inverted Y shaped pylon that climbs 193 metres above its foundation.
• The total length of cable strand used in the bridge is an impressive 653 kilometres. Remarkably, the entire structure was completed in just 11 months.