Udampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Project: India’s First Cable-Stayed Rail Bridge Is Ready, Launch Of Superstructure To Be Completed In May

The first cable-stayed railway bridge in India has been completed in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district. It is part of the Udampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway project.

The rail bridge is to be supported by 96 cables made in Slovakia. All cables are fully installed. The overall length of the cable strands is 653 km, with a weight of 848.7 Metric Tonnes.

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw tweeted a time-lapse video of the construction of India's first cable-stayed rail bridge over Anji Khad, a tributary of the Chenab River, receiving praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The bridge construction has been divided into many segments. These include the building of the Katra-Udhampur segment, the Quazigund-Baramulla segment, Quazigund-Banihal segment, etc.

Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) is building the bridge with a projected cost of Rs 435 crore.

The 1,315-metre-long bridge can withstand strong winds of up to 266 km/h as well as earthquakes of great intensity.

It is at a height of 331 metres above the river bed to connect Katra with Reasi in the Kashmir rail link project.

The chief public relations officer of the Northern Railways, Deepak Kumar said, “History was created on Wednesday (26 April) when India’s first cable-stayed rail bridge came up over Anji Khad in Reasi.” He informed that the launching of the superstructure shall be completed in May, according to Hindustan Times report.

Construction work with a 36-month completion window began in March 2017. It is designed by an Italian firm and proof checking is done by a British company.

The project is among the most difficult ones that Indian Railways has taken on. It involves building the world's highest railway bridge over the Chenab River.

The bridge is being designed to facilitate train movement of up to 100 kmph speed.