Jammu: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, June 6, inaugurated the Chenab Bridge, the world's tallest rail arch bridge. Notably, the inauguration of this bridge was part of a big infrastructure push in Kashmir, almost a month after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 innocent people were killed.
After inspecting the bridge, PM Modi met Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, J&K Governor Manoj Sinha, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Union MoS Jitendra Singh.
The bridge is part of the 272-kilometre USBRL. PM Modi also interacted with the workers who had worked on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project.
He also flagged off two sets of Vande Bharat trains between Srinagar and Katra on the USBRL. Notably, the commercial operation of these trains will start on June 7. The trains will improve connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Katra.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated other key infrastructures in the Union Territory, including India's first cable-stayed rail bridge, named Anji Khad bridge.
Key features Of Chenab Bridge:
The architectural marvel Chenab Rail Bridge, situated at a height of 359 meters above the river, is the world's highest railway arch bridge.
It is a 1,315-metre-long steel arch bridge engineered to withstand seismic and wind conditions up to the speed of 266 km/h.
The Defence Research and Development Organization aided in developing the blastproofing of the bridge.
A key impact of the bridge will be in improving connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar.
Through the Vande Bharat train moving on the bridge, it will take just about 3 hours to travel between Katra and Srinagar, reducing the existing travel time by two to three hours.
The bridge was constructed at a cost of ₹14.86 billion.
While the project was approved in 2002, the construction work started only in 2017.
The first trial runs were conducted in June 2024.
Notably, in the late 1970s, the Indian Government planned to establish a railway line to connect Jammu with the Kashmir valley.
