‘Below you is the Chenab Bridge’: Mid-air announcements spark photo frenzy on flights

Chenab bridge

The world’s highest railway-arch bridge, the Chenab Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir, has become a major attraction not just on the ground, but also from the skies. Inaugurated on June 6 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this engineering marvel is drawing attention from passengers flying over the beautiful valleys of Srinagar.

According to a press statement released by the railway ministry, flight pilots are announcing while flying over the Chenab Bridge, while passengers are showing eagerness to capture photographs of the engineering marvel, The Economic Times reported.

As planes approach the Chenab valley, pilots announce, “Below you is the world’s tallest railway-arch bridge, the Chenab Bridge.” “The Chenab Bridge draws admiration from every altitude, where pride rises from the earth and echoes through the clouds," ET quoted Dilip Kumar, Executive Director, Information and Publicity, Railway Board, as saying.

On the ground, the bridge is also attracting crowds. Locals from nearby villages and hilly areas are visiting the site, capturing the stunning structure from various angles. Many are sharing live videos on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, spreading the excitement across the country.

"A wave of pride sweeps through the cabin -- passengers clap, smile and share words of admiration for the brilliance of Indian engineering," the railway ministry press note said.

The Chenab Bridge is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project. It stands 359 metres above the Chenab River, making it the tallest railway bridge in the world. The total length of the bridge is 1,315 metres, with the main steel arch measuring 467 metres. Designed to withstand strong winds up to 266 kilometres per hour, the bridge rises 35 metres higher than the Eiffel Tower and is nearly five times taller than the Qutub Minar.

For the first time in its history, the Indian Railways deployed a cutting-edge cable-crane system, featuring two massive cable cars and pylons over 100 metres tall, to bridge the 915-metre-wide gap.