Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Chenab Rail Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir on 6th June 2025, marking a major milestone in India’s railway infrastructure. It is the tallest railway arch bridge in the world. This event is also a significant development in enhancing rail connectivity in the region, especially between Jammu and Srinagar. It is:
The world’s highest railway arch bridge standing 359 metres above the Chenab River, it is designed as a steel arch bridge. Chenab Bridge with an overall length of 1315 m, an arch span of 467 m, and towering 359 m above the riverbed—making it taller than the Eiffel Tower and acclaimed as the world's highest arch railway bridge.
An engineering feat, built to endure extreme seismic activity and high wind speeds, the bridge represents a triumph of modern engineering in one of India’s most challenging terrains.
On connectivity, the bridge is a key component of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project. It will significantly reduce travel time between Katra and Srinagar to about three hours, via the Vande Bharat trains – as against the 67 hours by road.
After an extensive inspection of the newly constructed Chenab Bridge by senior officers from Railway Board, Northern Railway and Konkan Railway, a trial run of the eight-coach Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) train was conducted on 5th June. This was on a 46-km-long electrified line section between Sangaldan in Ramban district and Reasi at a speed of 40 kmph. The world’s highest railway bridge, in Jammu and Kashmir, marks a significant step towards commencing rail operations on the Reasi-Baramulla route in Kashmir.
According to Afcons Infrastructure Limited, the top infrastructure company that constructed the bridge, one of the main and earliest challenges was access to the bridge location, to transport equipment and construction materials. Eventually, on the North side of the river bank, an 11-km road was constructed and a 12-km road on the South side. Further comments on the challenges faced can be read here:
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