Concrete arch bridge stands tall over the Chenab river:

By Prem Kumar Jun 23, 2024, 06:38 IST

Uttar Pradesh desk (R L Pandey).Jammu: More than 100 sensors, a 780-metre long blast protection platform and a control room with 150 servers are among several other state-of-the-art equipment of the Chenab Bridge, world's tallest rail bridge being operational for train operation.

While the protection platform is being mounted on the surface of the 359-metre high rail bridge over the river Chenab to absorb the impact during the train operation, 120 sensors are being installed to monitor the structural health of the arch bridge round the clock. Sensors are being installed as part of the smart asset management system to monitor structural health of the bridge. These sensors would provide vital data about the wind velocity, temperature, humidity, vibrations and other required information on a real-time basis. An engineering marvel, the 1,315-m-long Chenab Bridge, is a steel and concrete arch bridge built to sustain 260 kmph wind speed and designed to bear earthquake forces of the highest intensity.

According to the Railways, topographically, geologically and tectonically the project is full of challenges. Being hilly areas, the wind velocity can vary from time to time and it is essential for the Indian Railways to keep a close watch on the wind speed.Chenab Bridge, a crucial part of the Kashmir rail link project, isequipped with sensors to generate red signal and also an alarm sound at the station master room in case of emergency like wind speed exceeding the permissible limit.

Situated between Bakkal and Kauri in Reasi district of Jammu, the bridge is a crucial link in the Katra-Banihal section of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link project.There are trained personnel being deployed to monitor and operate the structural health monitoring system of the bridge. Apart from wind speed, the expert team at the control room also witnessed various other functions of the system, including wind direction, ambient air temperature and also loads at various sections of the bridge. Besides the world's highest bridge, India's longest tunnel (T-49) with a length of 12.77 km is also part of the Kashmir rail link project.

Some globally renowned tunnelling experts are involved in the tunnelling works in the section. About 12 lakh cubic metres of earth was excavated for the massive structure over the Chenab river.
Ahead of the regular train operation, the Railways also completed the testing and installation of overhead equipment (OHE) at 5.7 m height over the tracks. Being near to the border region, the government has given utmost importance to the security aspects, Indian Railways has undertaken a fool-proof arrangement.After a two-decade wait since its approval in 2003, the bridge faced delays due to stability concerns. However, the construction contract was awarded in 2008. Overcoming obstacles, track laying began in February 2023, and the Chenab rail bridge has now entered its operational phase.

While around 30,350 MT of steel has been used to construct the 1,315-m-long Chenab Railway Bridge, at least 10,620 MT of steel has been consumed in the construction of the gigantic arch, while 14,504 MT of steel has gone into the construction of the bridge deck. A symbol of Atmanirbhar Bharat, the Chenab Bridge, 35 m higher than the Eiffel Tower, is fully constructed by Indian engineers. With trains expected to start operating this year, India will witness another milestone.