800 soldiers mark historic journey through world's highest rail bridge in J-K; Know its name, features, and facts

In a historic journey, nearly 800 soldiers of the Indian Army traveled from Delhi to Srinagar in a passenger train traversing the ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), which includes the iconic single-arch Chenab Rail Bridge. The trip was for soldiers who were on leave and had been stranded at their locations due to cancellation of flights to Jammu and Kashmir amid a military conflict with Pakistan. Let us briefly tell you about the main features of the bridge.

Details and cost
Chenab Bridge, the worlds' highest railway bridge, is built over the Chenab river between Bakkal and Kauri in Reasi district (Jammu division) and aims to connect the Kashmir Valley to the country's vast rail network. With a height of 359 meters (1,178 feet), it is 35 meters taller than the world-famous Eiffel Tower in the French capital, Paris. The 1.3-kilometer-long bridge reportedly took more than 1,300 workers and 300 engineers to complete. The bridge was constructed at a cost of Rs 1,486 crore, as per Railway officials.

Construction timeline
Construction work on the Chenab Bridge had officially begun in 2004 as a part of the USBRL project. While the arch was completed in 2021, the overall construction was wrapped up in August the next year. A weather-proof engineering marvel, the bridge has an estimated life of 120 years and can withstand earthquakes of magnitude up to 8 on Richter Scale. The first full trial run on the bridge was successfully carried out in June 2024.