The Chenab Bridge is the world's tallest railway bridge, standing at a height of 359 meters (1,178 feet) above the Chenab River. It is taller than both the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Statue of Liberty in New York City. The bridge is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link project.
The construction of the bridge posed several engineering challenges due to the harsh terrain and weather conditions in the region.
Where is this bridge, when will it be open to visitors and why is it important? These are the CORE questions.
India has built the world's tallest railway bridge, the Chenab Bridge, which stands 359 meters above the Chenab River in the Jammu and Kashmir region. After decades of construction, the bridge will be open to visitors by the end of December 2023 or January 2024.
The bridge is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link project, which aims to make the Kashmir Valley accessible by the Indian Railway network.In addition to the Chenab Bridge, the project includes the country's longest transportation tunnel and Indian Railways' first cable bridge. For India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, investments in infrastructure like the Chenab Bridge and the broader rail link project are seen as a powerful tool for social integration and political influence, connecting disparate regions with key cities- something that has been sorely missing in India.
Linking Kashmir with the rest of India by train will specifically boost the region's industrial and agricultural sectors by allowing all-weather rail connectivity between the valley and the rest of the country. Previously, the only land route connecting the Indian-controlled parts of Kashmir with the rest of the country was the winding 300-kilometer Srinagar-Jammu national highway, which closes during part of the winter and is also infamous for vehicle accidents.
The bridge also has political implications as it's seen as a means of integrating Kashmir into India. Through the abrogation of article 370 in August 2019, Kashmir finally became one with India…..a move that PM Modi stated would promote stability, reduce corruption, and boost the economy. The Chenab Bridge is already being touted as a prime example of Modi's efforts to expand development in the country.
Since coming to power, Modi increased the budget of less than $100 million for the USBRL project by a factor of six to accelerate the bridge's completion after years of delays. India has invested millions into modernizing its infrastructure. Modi also inaugurated the first section of a 1,386-kilometer expressway linking the capital New Delhi to the financial hub of Mumbai.
The government said in a press release that the 246-kilometer section of the expressway alone cost $1.4 billion. Construction is also underway for the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, which aims to decongest India's railway network. Bottom line….the Chenab Bridge and the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link project ARE important for India's growth story.
The bridge will surely boost the region's industrial and agricultural sectors by allowing all-weather rail connectivity between the valley and the rest of India, and it's seen as a means of integrating Kashmir into India. Modi's investments in infrastructure like the Chenab Bridge are seen as a powerful and effective tool for social integration and political influence, connecting disparate regions with key cities. While the success of the project remains to be seen, the bridge is already being touted as an example of Modi's efforts to expand development in the country.
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