Chenab Rail Bridge In India | Background and planning | Design

The Chenab Rail Bridge is a railway bridge over the Chenab River in Reasi district of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is a steel and concrete bridge spanning 1 ,315 m (4,314 ft) across the river gorge. The structure consists of an approach bridge which is 530 m (1 , 740 ft) long and a 785 m (2,575 ft) long deck arch bridge. With a deck height of 359 m (1,178 ft) from the river bed, the arch bridge is the highest rail bridge and arch bridge in the world. It is located between Kauri and Bakkal rail stations on the Jammu— Baramulla line.

The Jammu—Baramulla railway project was initiated with the laying of its foundation stone in 1983, but construction commenced only in the mid-1990s after funds were allocated. The project progressed in phases: the Jammu Udhampur section opened in April 2005, and the Udhampur—Katra section opened in July 2014, with the line set to extend beyond Srinagar to connect with the Baramulla—Banihal section that was completed between 2008  and 2013.

The bridge was constructed at a cost of < 14.86 billion (US$180 million). The project was overseen by Konkan Railway Corporation of the Indian Railways. The construction work started in 2017, and the base supports were completed in November 2017 with the arch constructed by April 2021. The bridge was fully completed in August 2022, and the first trial runs were conducted in June  2024.The bridge was inaugurated for rail traffic on 6 June 2025.

Background and planning –

In the late 1970s, the Government of India planned to establish a railway line to connect Jammu with the Kashmir valley. The line would connect Kashmir with the rest of the Indian railway network and aid in the economic activity of the region. It would also serve as a strategic link to the Kashmir region all round the year as the road is often cut off by snowfall during winters. Though the foundation stone for the project was laid in 1983, constructed started only The Jammu when the funds were allocated only in the mid 1990s. The Jammu-Udhampur section was opened in April 2005. Subsequently, a railway line was established between Baramulla and Banihal in Kashmir in phases from 2008 to 2013, and the planned Jammu-Baramulla line would extend beyond Srinagar to connect to the new line. The section between Udhampur and Katra was opened for traffic in July 2014.

Meanwhile, a survey was conducted in 1997 to study the feasibility for extending the railway line from Udhampur to Srinagar in the valley. The line would have to pass through the Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas, which necessitated multiple tunnels and bridges. The line between Katra and Srinagar necessitated a crossing of a deep gorge formed by the Chenab River. A high altitude rail bridge was approved to cross the river between Kauri and Bakkal, about 23 km (14 mi) north of Katra.

Design –

The Indian Railways assigned the supervision of the bridge construction project to Konkan Railway Corporation on behalf of Northern Railways. The bridge was declared a national project due to its national importance in connecting Kashmir to the existing lines of Indian Railways. Konkan railway invited tenders for the project in November 2003. The area was located in a major seismic zone (zone V) with a fractured geology, and in a conflict prone zone. WSP Finland served as the main designer of the bridge, with Leonhardt, Andrä und Partner designing the bridge arches, and Vienna Consulting Engineers aiding in the design of the pylons. The Defence Research & Development Organization aided in developing the blast proofing of the bridge, and the Indian Institute of Science helped with the study of the protection of the foundation of the bridge.

A 1,315 m (4,314 ft) was planned at a cost of æ14.86 billion (US$180 million). The main deck of the bridge was planned at a height of 359 m (1 , 178 ft) above the river bed, making it the highest rail bridge and arch bridge in the world. The bridge consists of two parts— an approach bridge which is 530 m (1 , 740 ft) long and the 785 m (2,575 ft) long deck arch bridge. The arch bridge consists of a two-ribbed arch design and prefabricated steel boxes filled with concrete used in chords of the trusses. The bridge consists of 17 spans, with the main span measuring 467 m (1 ,532 ft) linearly. The spans are supported by steel piers, the highest of which measures 133.7 m (439 The super structure consists of 161 girder plates each of 8 m (26 ft) length and 8 mm (0.31 in) The bridge is about 13.5 m (44 ft) wide, and can accommodate double railway tracks with a separation of 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) in the center. The main bridge arch structure weighs 10,619 tonnes and is supported by two cable-attached pylons measuring 130 m (430 ft) and 100 m (330 ft) respectively.

The design and construction is compliant with various national and global standards and codes, including Indian Standards,Indian Railway Standards, Indian Road Congress, British Standards, and International Union of Railways. The bridge is designed to have a life of 120 years and is designated to handle rail speeds of up to 100 km/h (62 mph). The bridge was designed to withstand earthquakes up to a magnitude of eight on the Richter scale, high-intensity blasts equivalent to about 40 tonnes of TN T, temperatures up to -20 oc (-4 OF) and wind speeds of up to 266 km/h (165 mph).