Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated Chenab Railway Bridge, the world’s highest railway bridge, in Jammu’s Reasi District.
The bridge is located between the remote villages of Kauri and Bakkal. It rises 359 metres above the Chenab River, 35 metres higher than the Eiffel Tower, and spans 1,315 metres in length.
The bridge is designed to withstand winds of up to 260 km per hour and seismic activity, the bridge has a projected lifespan of 120 years and has been built at a cost of Rs 1,486 crore.
The bridge is a vital link between Jammu and Srinagar and an important component of the 272 Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project.
The project constructed at the cost of around Rs 43,780 crore, includes 36 tunnels (spanning 119 km) and 943 bridges. The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country aiming to transform regional mobility and driving socio-economic integration.
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—(KNO)
