NE BUSINESS BUREAU
NEW DELHI, MAR 26
Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw performed ‘bhumi poojan’ at the site where the first trail run of track-mounted vehicles on Chenab Bridge will be conducted, in Reasi district, on Sunday. Chenab bridge, the world’s highest railway bridge, is part of Indian railways’ Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project.
Inspected the Chenab Bridge🌁- world’s highest rail arch bridge. pic.twitter.com/EA6qLLtsv9
— Ashwini Vaishnaw (मोदी का परिवार) (@AshwiniVaishnaw) March 26, 2023
The world’s highest railway bridge built on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir is expected to get operational by the end of this year, confirmed Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw after inspecting the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link project from Chenab bridge on Sunday.
Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi has put a laser-sharp focus on the development of the country, the Chenab Bridge and tunnels are a few examples that will become the lifeline of Jammu and Kashmir: Hon’ble MR Shri @AshwiniVaishnaw. pic.twitter.com/oQysjRFgyh
— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) March 26, 2023
- Ashwini Vaishnaw conducts trolly inspection of bridge and tunnels to see the progress of the USBRL project
- USBRL Project to be completed by Jan/Feb-2024
- After connecting with Udhampur- Srinagar- Baramulla train service specially built Vande Bharat train will be started
- Kashmir Valley will be soon connected to Indian Railways network
Built 1,178 feet above the riverbed underneath, the Chenab Bridge has been constructed under ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ project. The border would connect Kashmir to the rest of the country.
This bridge would also help the Indian armed forces stationed in this strategically crucial location and increase tourism, per the Railway Ministry. The bridge that has been built at a cost of approximately Rs 1,400 crore is also earthquake-resistant. The bridge has a 2015 km long approach road long, and it truly represents the most significant challenges faced by civil engineers under any railway project in recent Indian history.
Currently, there are only three rail routes that connect to Kashmir — The first is a 25-kilometer section from Udhampur to Katra; the second is an 18-kilometer stretch from Banihal to Qazigund in the valley; and the third is a 118-kilometer route from Qazigund to Baramulla. The construction of the major arch was completed in April 2021, while the base was finished in November 2017. With the completion of the overarch deck in August 2022, the steel and concrete arch bridge reached a key milestone. According to Railways, the bridge is 42 kilometers from Reasi town. The newly built Chenab bridge would be able to withstand winds of up to 260 km per hour. The bridge has a lifespan of 120 years, per the Indian Railways.
“Today is an important day as the trolley run was done on Chenab Bridge and several tunnels are being inspected as well. Before 2014, Rs 700–800 crores were allocated for such projects, but today Rs 6,000 crore has been allocated for this project. I expect trains will start running on these tracks by December-January,” the Union Railways Minister said.
General Manager Northern Railway, Ashutosh Gangal, M.D/ KRCL, Sanjay Gupta,, CAO/C, USBRL, S.P. Mahi , Divisional Railway Manager,Ferozpur, Dr. Seema Sharma, and other senior railway officials of Northern Railway and USBRL project welcomed the Minister.
We are creating a special training academy in Jammu. Wherever our engineers & technicians require training, they can come to this project and have the training, and other parts of the country can also benefit from this project: Hon’ble MR Shri @AshwiniVaishnaw. pic.twitter.com/Uix9i1SZ9s
— Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) March 26, 2023
Officials of the USBRL Project briefed the Railway Minister about the world’s highest railway bridge Chenab and progress of the project. The Minister conducted a trolley inspection of the Chenab Bridge and tunnels of the USBRL project to see the progress of the work and gave instructions to officials for its timely completion. The Minister appreciated the hard work of all the railway staff involved in this project and their dedication towards duty besides various challenges and adverse conditions. Vaishnaw said that all efforts are being done to complete the remaining work.
The Minister also interacted with major metro cites media persons siting in zonal headquarters showcasing seamless network connectivity at highest railway bridge pan India. Video and audio arrangements were provided at the world’s highest Railway bridge at Chinab river by providing 300 MBPS Internet bandwidth from JIO, 100 MBPS Airtel Internet network , 100 MBPS BSNL Internet as well as on OFC cable from Salal.
While addressing the media persons gathered there from across the Nation, Vaishanw announced the following:
- USBRL Project to be completed by Jan/Feb-2024
- Allocated Rs.6000 crores in the year2022-23, before 2014 this allocation was 800 corores per year.
- After connecting with Udhampur- Srinagar- Baramulla train service specially built Vande Bharat train will be started.
- A Special Training Academy for Engineers will be created at Jammu.
- Kashmir Valley will be connected to the Indian railways network soon.
- Laser sharp focus on the development of the Country.
