Train route to Kashmir, via world’s highest railway bridge, almost ready

“We have finally completed the work on the bridge. Very soon trains will ply from Jammu to Srinagar. The bridge will connect the Bakal and Dugga railway stations on either side, ” said civil engineer Tasaduq Hussain of Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. (KRCL), a Ministry of Railways division.

Daunting task

However, before trains ply on the 356-km-long Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL), which goes through the Himalayas, there are some sections that have to be completed.

Officials said that while the sections from Jammu to Katra and Banihal to Baramulla are operational, the track from Katra to Banihal is yet to be completed.

The USBRL project also includes a large number of tunnels and bridges in rugged and mountainous terrain with difficult Himalayan geology. For example, Hussain said Konkan Railway is constructing India’s first-ever cable-stayed rail bridge over the Anji river (Anji Khad Bridge) in Reasi, which will connect Katra and Reasi through the USBRL link.

Similarly, the 12.75 km long T-49 tunnel, which was completed in February, is Indian Railways’ longest tunnel, surpassing the 11.2-km-long Pir Panjal Tunnel on the Banihal-Qazigund section.

Work on another difficult tunnel, known as T1, is also underway.

Another young engineer, who spoke to this writer on the Chenab bridge, which forms a crucial link in the 111-km stretch from Katra to Banihal, said that the railway project will be completed within a year and a half. Meaning, people will be able to travel to Kashmir by train before the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

When this reporter visited the world’s tallest bridge last month from the Kauri side, track-laying work was on in full swing.

Asked about the delay in completion, an onsite engineer said that construction started in 2004 but was stopped in 2008-09 due to an alignment change and to consider the safety aspect in view of frequent high-velocity winds in the area. “The Chenab bridge should have been completed within 8 years but due to multiple issues the work halted for years, causing a delay.”

No lives lost

Rashmi Ranjan Mallick, deputy chief engineer, Chenab, told Moneycontrol that frequent high-velocity winds in the area are one of the major challenges for engineers, which he claimed to have tackled with cutting-edge engineering and technology.

“Though constructing the highest Railway Bridge in the world was undoubtedly a daunting task for engineers, the work was completed without any labourer or engineer losing his life; 2,200 workers and  105 engineers have worked round the clock in extreme weather conditions, difficult terrain, and safety concerns to complete the bridge. Some labourers did face injuries but overall the project was completed without any mishap,” he said.

Mallick added that The National Safety Council granted Konkan Railway the 2020 safety award for completing the bridge without any mishap.

An official document accessed by Moneycontrol revealed that the bridge will have a minimum lifespan of 120 years besides being built for trains travelling at a speed of 100 kph. “The iconic bridge has a 266 km/h wind resistance rating and is blast load resistant besides being earthquake-resistant to a very high degree. 29000 metric tonnes of structural steel has been used to build the bridge,” said Mallick, who joined the project in 2015. He added that rail trolleys would soon start on the Chenab bridge.

Konkan Railway’s pride

The responsibility of building the Chenab railway bridge in J&K’s dangerous terrain was given to Konkan Railway, at a whopping cost of Rs. 14.35 billion .

The base of the steel and concrete arch bridge between Bakkal and Kauri, 42 kms from Reasi town, was completed in November 2017, allowing for the start of the construction of the main arch which was done in April 2021.

In August 2022, the Golden Joint, connecting two ends of the deck on the bridge was completed.

For the first time ever, a train ran in Kashmir in 2008. Since then, trains have run regularly on the Jammu-Udhampur-Katra route in the Jammu region and the Baramulla-Banihal route in Kashmir.

Mallick claimed that almost 90 percent of work on the USBRL project stands completed, with the first phase of the 118-km Qazigund-Baramulla section being commissioned in October 2009 followed by the 18-km Banihal-Qazigund in June 2013 and 25 km Udhampur-Katra section in July 2014. Work on the remaining stretches is underway.

A long wait

In 1990, then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao announced a project to lay a rail line to Kashmir.

In 2002, the USBRL project, with the goal of linking Kashmir to the rest of India, was announced by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who called it a “national project”.

Last year, when the final arch of the bridge was completed, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: “Indians’ capability and confidence are today presenting an example to the world. This construction work not only shows India’s increasing strength in modern engineering and technology but also is an example of the country’s changed work culture.”

Significance of the bridge

Road connectivity through the Srinagar-Jammu national highway has always been an issue during winter. The Chenab bridge is expected to provide the much-needed all-weather connectivity between the Valley and the rest of India.

“The all-weather and cost-effective connectivity is expected to reduce the travel  cost, it will also make movement of raw materials smooth. Trade, tourism and employment generation will also rise,” said Shotu Jambalker, a local resident of Bakkal.

For instance, he said, while the rail service may not benefit his village much, it would facilitate the movement of local products, mainly fruits, handicrafts and wood carving items from Kashmir, to outside states. Similarly essential commodities, including vegetables, fruits, rations, petrol and diesel, will be easily transported to Kashmir.

Apart from acting as a catalyst for the overall development of the northernmost region of India, locals say that nearly 73 villages, which were only accessible by foot or boat, will benefit from the railway link.