Chenab Rail Bridge

The Chenab Rail Bridge is a steel and concrete arch bridge located between Bakkal and Kauri in the Reasi district of the Jammu Division of Jammu and Kashmir, India.[4][5] The bridge spans the Chenab River at a height of 359 m (1,178 ft) above the river, making it the world's highest rail bridge.[6][7] In November 2017, the base supports were declared completed allowing for the start of the construction of the main arch.[8] The bridge was fully completed and was inaugurated in August 2022.[3]

Chenab Rail Bridge
Chenab Railway Arch bridge in Reasi district, J&K, India in 2023
Coordinates33°9′3″N 74°52′59″E
CarriesIndian Railways
CrossesChenab River between Bakkal and Kauri
Maintained byNorthern Railways
Characteristics
DesignArch bridge
MaterialSteel and Concrete
Total length1,315 m (4,314 ft)[1]
Height(river bed to formation) 359 m (1,178 ft)[1]
Longest span467 m (1,532 ft)
No. of spans17
History
DesignerKonkan Railway, Afcons Infrastructure & DRDO
Constructed byAfcons Infrastructure
OpeningDecember 2022[2]
Inaugurated13 August 2022[3]
Location
Jammu–Baramulla line
km
Baramulla–Kupwara line
to Kupwara (planned)
338
 Baramulla
330
 Sopore
323
 Hamre
315
 Pattan
307
 Mazhom
297
 Nadigam
292
 Budgam
Srinagar–Kargil–Leh line
(planned)
281
 Srinagar
275
 Pampore
Jhelum Bridge
269
 Kakapora
259
 Awantipora
252
 Panzgom
245
 Bijbehara
to Pahalgam (planned)
238
 Anantnag
231
 Sadura
226
 Qazigund
Banihal-Qazigund
Railway Tunnel
(
11.2 km
7 mi
)
208
 Banihal
Tunnel T74R (
8.6 km
5.3 mi
)
 Khari
Tunnel T49 (
12.75 km
7.92 mi
)
 Sumber
Tunnel T48 (
10.2 km
6.3 mi
)
Sangaldan Tunnels include T47-Br88-T46-Br 87-T44/45-Br85-T42/43, (
7 km
4 mi
)
 Sangaldan
 Basindadhar
 Dugga
Chenab Rail Bridge
 Bakkal
Anji Khad Bridge
 Reasi
78
Shri Mata Vaishno
Devi Katra
62
 Chak Rakhwal
53
 Udhampur
44
 Ramnagar
Tawi Bridge
22
 Manwal
14
 Sangar
10
 Bajalta
Jammu–Poonch line
to Poonch (proposed)
0
 Jammu Tawi
Jalandhar–Jammu line
km

In April 2021, the Chenab Rail Bridge's arch was completed and the overall bridge was completed in August 2022. It is expected to open to rail traffic by December 2023 or by January/February 2024.[9]

Key technical data of the bridge include:[10]

  • Deck height: above river bed - 359 m (1,178 ft), above river surface - 322 m (1,056 ft)
  • Bridge length: 1,315 m (4,314 ft), including the 650 m (2,130 ft) long viaduct on the northern side
  • Arch span: 467 m (1,532 ft)[11]
  • Arch length: 480 m (1,570 ft)[12]

This makes the Chenab Rail Bridge:

Introduction and topography

Northern Railway has undertaken the megaproject of constructing a new railway line across the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir between the towns of Udhampur near Jammu and Baramulla on the northwestern edge of the Kashmir Valley. This project was declared a national project in 2002.[13] It is directed by the Northern Railway.

The extraordinary challenge lies in a large number of tunnels (totaling 63 km in length[14]) and bridges (7.5 km) to be implemented in highly rugged and mountainous terrain, with the difficult Himalayan geology. The most difficult part is believed to be the crossing of the deep gorge of the Chenab River, near Salal Hydro Power Dam,[15] by the Chenab Bridge.

Another, smaller, arch bridge proposed on the new railway line was the 657 m (2,156 ft) long, 189 m (620 ft) high Anji Khad Bridge between Katra and Reasi over the Chenab river tributary river. This proposal was abandoned by the railway due to the specific geology of the location and a cable-stayed bridge is proposed which will be Indian Railways first cable stayed bridge.

Design

After many deliberations, taking into account aesthetics, economy, and availability of local expertise and construction materials, the Chenab Rail Bridge was designed as a large span single arch steel bridge with approach viaducts on either side. The arch is two-ribbed, fabricated from large steel trusses. The chords of the trusses are sealed steel boxes, internally stiffened and filled with concrete to assist in controlling wind-induced forces on the bridge. Another advantage of concrete filling is that internal painting will not be required.

The number of bearings has been minimized, particularly on the approach viaduct, through the use of continuous construction. This is advantageous, as it reduces the maintenance and inspection efforts, and improves the riding quality. The viaduct piers are of concrete, while the piers near the arch are Indian construction standards such as the Indian Railway Standards (IRS), the Indian Road Congress (IRC) and the Indian Standards (IS) were found inadequate for the large spans of the Chenab Bridge. For example, the Indian Railway Standards (IRS) is primarily intended for simply supported bridges with spans up to 100m (although these have been successfully used for higher spans up to 154m). The spans for the Chenab Rail Bridge greatly exceed this limit, and are continuous. Therefore, to assure a safe design, Indian national standards have been supplemented with International standards such as British Standards (BS), International Union of Railways (UIC) and Euro. Also, many global experts with versatile and relevant experience, have been involved in order to facilitate making the project a success.

Following are some of the design considerations taken into account:

  • Limit state philosophy of design has been decided to be followed as per BS codes
  • Computation of wind load effects as per wind tunnel tests
  • Site specific seismic spectra developed by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee
  • Provision of Euro code 8 for ductility detailing of very tall and hollow rectangular RCC piers
  • Provision of long welded rail (LWR) over the bridges and resulting force calculation as per UIC – 774-3R guidelines
  • Blast resistant design used
  • Design checking for fatigue as per BS codes
  • Deformation limits as per comfort criteria of UIC – 776-2R and UIC 776 -3R guidelines
  • Redundancy provided in the structures, for lower level of operation during mishaps and against collapse in extreme cases of one pier failure

The quality aspect has been emphasised, as the quantum of fabrication and welding is colossal. Mostly indigenous material compliant to IS codes has been planned to be used, whereas for the design, international codes have been referred, which means the Quality Control work is still difficult.

Construction
Aerial view of Chenab Bridge during the construction of Arch

The Chenab Rail Bridge was originally intended to be completed in December 2009.[16] However, in September 2008, the project was halted due to fears over the bridge's stability and safety.[17] Work on the bridge restarted in 2010,[18] with the plan to complete it in 2015.[19]

The design and construction was awarded to Afcons Infrastructure,[20] a part of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, the third-largest construction group in India, with the help of IISc Bangalore. Major construction decisions were taken by Konkan Railway Corporation. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) helped in the design of the bridge, making it blast-proof using special steel.[21]

The erection scheme for the bridge is a project in itself. Two pylons (about 130 m and 100 m high) were erected on either side of the river, and two auxiliary self-propelled cable cranes (capacity of 20 tonnes each) were used to tow temporary auxiliary ropes across these pylons. The ropes were used to support the partly finished arch parts. After arch completion, the trusses will be added, finally the girder will be constructed as a horizontal sliding type platform.

Project status
  • Dec 2003: Project approved.[4]
  • Feb 2008: Contract awarded for construction.[12]
  • Aug 2010: Construction restarted.[22]
  • Jul 2017: Construction work resumed on the bridge.
  • Nov 2017: The work bridge's arch is expected to be completed by May 2019.[4]
  • Nov 2018: The bridge is now under active construction.[23]
  • Dec 2018: The project was expected to be completed by the end of 2019, but at this time, it seems unlikely.[24][25]
  • Aug 2019: 80% of construction work has been completed on the bridge, and is expected to be opened in mid-2020.[26]
  • Nov 2019: 83% work has been completed on the bridge, and is now expected to be opened in March 2021.[27]
  • Jan 2020: It is now expected to be opened in December 2021.[28]
  • Apr 2021: Work on both the ends of the bridge's arch is finally completed. It is now expected to be opened in 2022.[29][2]
  • Jun 2022: About 90% of construction work has been completed, and is now confirmed to make the bridge operational by December 2022.[30]
  • Aug 2022: The bridge's remaining work on the final joint was completed, and was inaugurated on 13 August 2022.[31][32]
  • Feb 2023: Track laying on the bridge starts.[33][34][35]
  • Mar 2023: The track laying is completed and a trial run has been conducted on it. The bridge, along with the entire route from Jammu to Baramulla, is expected to become operational by December 2023 or by January/February 2024.[36]

Maintenance

Regular painting of large bridges is an intimidating task; hence, a painting scheme was developed, having renewal of over 15 years, compared to approx. 5 to 7 years in most other Indian railway bridges.[37]

See also

References
  1. "Salient Features of the Chenab and Anji Khad Bridges" (PDF). Official Webpage of the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 December 2003. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
  2. "Railways completes world's highest rail bridge arch: Why Chenab bridge is called an 'engineering marvel'". Times Now. 6 April 2021. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  3. "Chenab Bridge, World's Highest Rail Bridge Taller Than Eiffel Tower, Inaugurated Today | All You Need to Know". India.com. 13 August 2022. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  4. "Quixplained: Chenab arch bridge which will connect Kashmir to Kanyakumari". Indian Express. 7 April 2021. Archived from the original on 9 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  5. "Chenab rail bridge to be ready by next year". The Times of India. PTI. 2 August 2020. Archived from the original on 2 August 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. Sagotra, Yogesh (7 November 2017). "World's tallest railway bridge on Chenab to complete by May 2019". Greater Kashmir. Archived from the original on 8 June 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  7. "World's highest rail bridge to come up across Chenab river". Hindustan Times. PTI. 17 February 2013. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  8. Jha, Srinand (6 November 2017). "Railways launches main arch of Chenab: World's highest rail bridge an impressive feat but are celebrations misplaced?". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 20 February 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  9. "Railway to Connect Kashmir with Rest of India by Start of 2024, Ladakh to Get 500 Towers: Ashwini Vaishnaw". News18. 25 March 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  10. Narayan, Laxmi (March 2006). "TECHNICAL PAPER ON ANJI KHAD AND CHENAB BRIDGES" (PDF). Advances in Bridge Engineering: 101–114. Retrieved 14 January 2008.
  11. "Chenab Bridge". Trimble Solutions Corporation. 25 June 2016. Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  12. "Indian Railways makes history;Awards largest bridge contract in J&K". Project Monitor. Archived from the original on 20 February 2008. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
  13. "J&K Rail Link Project". Northern Railway Website: Official Page on the Kashmir Railway Project. Archived from the original on 6 May 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  14. Singh, Mahendra Kumar (30 May 2011). "At 359 metres, rail bridge over Chenab will be world's highest". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
  15. "Chenab Rail bridge will be highest in the world". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 17 January 2008. Archived from the original on 20 January 2008. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
  16. "J&K to have world's tallest bridge". The Times of India. PTI. 5 November 2007. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2008.
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  19. Singh, Mahendra Kumar (18 June 2012). "Highest railway bridge in J&K to be ready by 2015". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013.
  20. "Chenab Rail Bridge, Jammu and Kashmir, India". Railway Technology. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  21. "Kashmir To Get "Blast-Proof" World's Highest Railway Bridge Over River Chenab". The Eurasian Times. 28 December 2018. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  22. "India joins the superlative club, we now have the world's highest rail bridge".
  23. "World's highest railway bridge, taller than Eiffel Tower, nearing completion in J&K". Zee News. 13 November 2018. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  24. "Kashmir rail link to see further delay after work stops yet again". The Kashmir Walla. 1 December 2018. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  25. Bureau, T. P. T. (3 December 2018). "Chenab rail bridge to miss 2020 deadline". Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  26. Jacob, Shine (19 August 2019). "Railway project to link Kashmir with rest of India put on fast track". Business Standard India. Archived from the original on 6 September 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
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  28. Nag, Devanjana (16 January 2020). "Chenab bridge: World's highest rail bridge taller than Eiffel Tower, can withstand blasts! 10 stunning facts". The Financial Express. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
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  31. "Chenab Bridge: Before 'Golden' Launch Today, Cross Journey Behind Making J&K's Marvel With News18". News18. 13 August 2022. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  32. Desk, India com News (13 August 2022). "Chenab Bridge, World's Highest Rail Bridge Taller Than Eiffel Tower, Inaugurated Today | All You Need to Know | India.com". www.india.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  33. "Track-laying work on world's highest railway bridge starts".
  34. "Track-laying work begins on world's highest rail bridge in J&K's Reasi". 21 February 2023.
  35. "Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project on Chenab Bridge: Track laying work begins on world's highest Railway bridge | the Financial Express".
  36. "Railway to Connect Kashmir with Rest of India by Start of 2024, Ladakh to Get 500 Towers: Ashwini Vaishnaw". News18. 25 March 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
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