Chenab Bridge: The world’s highest railway bridge which is capable of facing earthquake

It is a symbol of the miracle of engineering, man -made surprise, new Kashmir. The new Chenab bridge in Jammu and Kashmir is special in many ways. It has been inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi. It is the world’s highest man -made Railway Arch Bridge built in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramullah is part of the Rail Link Project (USBRL). The purpose of this project is to promote connectivity in Jammu and Kashmir. This day is very important for Jammu and Kashmir. The Chenab Bridge is originally a magnificent work. It is designed in such a way that it is enabled to withstand the earthquake and a huge explosion of 40 kg of TNT.

The Chenab Bridge, called the world’s highest railway bridge, is designed by WSP Finland. In this, German company Leonhart, Andra Und Partner designed the arches of the bridge. Vienna Consulting Engineers have assisted the design of pillars. Once the design is ready, workers and engineers of the Konkan Railway Corporation have embodied the plan. It is a difficult task to prepare such a design.

 

Please tell that this bridge is built in Reasi district, which is 1315 meters long. This bridge is built on the Chenab River in the Kauri region. This bridge is built at an altitude of 359 meters (1,178 ft) above the Chenab River floor. This is the highest bridge in the world to be built at this height. Let us know that 359 meters, Paris’s Eiffel Tower is about 35 meters high.

 

The construction of the bridge included 28,660 metric tonnes of steel, 10 lakh cubic meters of soil, 66,000 meters of concrete and 26 km qualified roads. According to those involved in the construction of the Chenab bridge, the total weight of the arches is 10,619 metric tons. Construction of this bridge has also been very expensive. It cost Rs 1,456 crore and in total 3,200 workers and engineers worked together. After its operation starts, trains on Chenab bridge will run at a speed of 100 kmph. All necessary security measures will be taken to ensure safe travel.

 

The Chenab Bridge is not only beautiful to see, but it is also the result of the best engineering brains in the country. Understanding that the bridge would be built on the active mountains from the seismic point of view, experts from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee studied rocky slopes. Then suggested ways to ensure that the construction work is not destroyed in the event of an earthquake. All these steps taken during construction have now ensured that the bridge can also withstand an earthquake of 8 intensity on the Richter scale. In addition, it can also withstand the speed of strong air at 266 kmph.

 

Regarding the strengthening of the bridge, Chief Engineer (Coordination) of Konkan Railway RK Hegde told news agency PTI, “It can withstand the high -intensity explosions and earthquakes of 40 kg of TNT. Even after the explosion, the train can run at a speed of 30 km per hour.” He said that in view of the tendency of terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, this bridge has been constructed from 63 mm thick special explosion steel. “This is the first time that self-compacting concrete is being used to fill the ends of the steel box and plate girders,” he said.

 

Design firm WSP has also used Tekla software in the construction of Chenab bridge. Tekla Structures is a software used in the manufacturing industry, mainly for structural engineering and details, especially for steel and concrete structures. This allows professionals to create, manage and share 3D models from conceptual design to construction, which promotes accuracy and efficiency.

Those involved in the construction work say that the age of the bridge is estimated to be 120 years. Corrosion resistant paint has been used to ensure its longevity. In addition, it is equipped with an online security monitoring system for real -time alert.

 

The inauguration of the Chenab bridge by Prime Minister Modi was done several years after the announcement of the project. The construction work of the bridge started in 2004 but due to alignment and security concerns, it was delayed. The work resumed after design adjustment in 2010. The deck was connected to Steel Arch in April 2021, followed by the deck in August 2022.

 

In June last year, Indian Railways successfully tested the Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) train with eight coaches on the famous Chenab Bridge. On June 21, the test started from Sangaldan at 12.35 pm and passed through nine tunnels spreading for 40.787 km at 2.05 pm, including the longest 11.13 km T-44 tunnel.