Electric Engine Takes Historic Ride Across World’s Highest Arch Bridge in Reasi!

Trains to Kashmir likely by June end; a safe option for Amarnath Yatris in case of disruption on Jammu-Srinagar national highway

The Northern Railways on Sunday successfully conducted a trial run of an electric engine between Sangaldan in Ramban district to Reasi that chugged on the world’s tallest arch rail bridge, dubbed the “eighth wonder of the world”, over Chenab river in Reasi.

“The successful run of the electric engine paved the way for the trains to chug into Kashmir from other parts of the country, hopefully by June 30,” a senior railways official said, adding that the electric engine’s successful trial run was a significant milestone.

“While the Sangaldan-Baramulla section has already been commissioned, today’s trial run on Reasi-Sangaldan has paved the way for the trains to chug into Kashmir,” he said.

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He informed that the commissioner of railways safety (CRS) will soon conduct a trial run from Reasi to Sangaldan and up to Baramulla. “Posting staff and other preparations are to be done in advance before the inspection by CRS,” he said.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to officially flag off a train from Reasi to Kashmir on July 10. This rail link can also serve as a safe option for the Amarnath pilgrims, in case there is disruption on Jammu-Srinagar national highway (NH44),” said the official.

The annual Amarnath pilgrimage starts June 29 for 52 days. The arc bridge, an engineering marvel, soars 359 metre above the river bed, 35 metre higher than the Eiffel Tower.

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Last year, Railways officials had hoped that trains to Kashmir including ‘Vande Bharat’ may start chugging on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link (USBRL) project by January this year.

However, the unforeseen challenges in the fragile Himalayan region delayed the completion. A total of 28,000 tonne steel went into the bridge’s making. The one side of the foundation of this bridge is equal to half of the soccer field. The foundations have been made with a technology to resist 8 magnitude quakes on the Richter scale.

Similarly, 18,000 bars and cables were used to provide strong foundations and a stable bridge.

In the event of a quake, seismic waves from foundations to the bridge structure above would be checked by bearings. While impact of the quake will be tolerated by the foundations, the bearings will not allow the waves to travel into the structure above.

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The eco-fragile Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir falls in seismic zone 4 and 5, making it highly vulnerable to quakes.

The work on the USBRL project had started in 2005-06. The bridge can also withstand strong winds up to the speed of 266 km per hour.

The bridge has come up at a cost of ₹1,548 crore. The 1.3-kilometre-long bridge, which is 35 metres higher than the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris, forms a crucial link in the 111-km stretch from Katra to Banihal, which is part of the ₹21,653 crore Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project.

In view of the importance of the USBRL (Udhampur Srinagar Baramulla Rail Line) project in providing seamless and hassle-free connectivity, the 272-km long project was declared a “national project” in 2002.

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