Image Source: Agencies

June 5, 2025: Inauguration of the Chenab Bridge: The Chenab bridge, the world's tallest rail and arch bridge, was constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 1,400 crore and is regarded as a masterpiece of civil engineering. This is how it was built.
The tallest railway bridge in the world: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to officially open two specially built Vande Bharat trains between Srinagar and Katra on Friday, June 6. This will complete a 42-year-old project that will connect Kashmir with the rest of the nation through rail.
The 118-km Qazigund-Baramulla segment of the 272-km Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Line (USBRL) was put into service in October 2009; the 18-km Qazigund-Banihal segment followed in June 2013; the 25-km Udhampur-Katra segment followed in July 2014; and the 48.1-km Banihal-Sangaldan segment followed in February 2024.
On June 6, the Prime Minister will officially open the world's tallest railway bridge across Chenab, which will be the last 63-kilometer Katra-Sangaldan stretch.
The Chenab bridge, which was constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 1,400 crore, is the world's tallest rail and arch bridge. Its dock is 359 meters above the riverbed, making it 35 meters higher than Paris's famous Eiffel Tower.
It is regarded as India's most recent civil engineering marvel and is a 1,315-meter steel arch and concrete structure made up of a 530-meter approach bridge and a 785-meter deck arch bridge (the portion of the bridge on which cars run).
The bridge, which was constructed in the Reasi area between Bakkal and Kauri, is located in zone-V, a significant seismic zone with a fractured geology. Building the bridge without hindering the Chenab River's flow was one of the most difficult tasks.
Another significant obstacle was transporting bulky equipment and supplies to the location because there was no road connection.
The Konkan Railway Corporation oversaw the design and construction of the bridge, which was given to a joint venture made up of VSL India, Afcons Infrastructure, and Ultra Construction & Engineering Company, based in South Korea. The Indian Institute of Science, Banglore, created a design for the protection of its foundation, while the Finland-based WSP Group and the Germany-based Leonhardt Andra and Partners designed its viaduct, foundations, and arch, respectively. The slope stability was examined by the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) assisted in making the bridge blast-proof, and IIT Delhi and Roorkee conducted seismic studies.
How was it built?
In one of India's most remote and challenging landscapes, the Chenab bridge was suggested. Its deck is situated on a transition curve, which is the area of a road with a changing radius that separates straight and circular sections. Therefore, the bridge's construction was done in phases.

The bridge required the construction of 28,660 MT of steel for 26 km of motorable roads, with steel coming from the Steel Authority of India and spherical stopper bearings from a Swiss company called Mageba.

The bridge was constructed using the advanced Tekla program, which creates 3D models of structures or infrastructure projects.