The dream of a seamless “Kashmir to Kanyakumari” journey into reality can be put in the engineering of India new heights with the inauguration of the world’s highest railway bridge – the iconic Chenab Bridge – by Premier Narendra Modi on Friday, June 6, 2025. Photocredit: PTI
To realize the vision to travel by trail from “Kashmir to Kanyakumari”, the project team was behind the construction of the Chenab Bridge for various challenges. Among them was how you can reach the location surrounded by the steep slopes of the Himalayas.
The team only had one option – horses and mules.
According to Afcons Infrastructure Limited, the top infrastructure company that built the bridge, one of the most important and earliest challenges was access to the bridge location, to transport equipment and building materials.
From horses and mules to mega machines
“Initially, mules and horses were used by the project team to reach the location. Temporary roads were created slowly over a period and access were made available to the site,” said a company spokesperson.
Premier Narendra Modi has inherited the iconic Chenab Bridge, Anji Rail Bridge and Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project (USBRL) project (USBRL) on Friday and Vande Bharat trains flattened and Katra connected with Srinagar.
The spokesperson added that eventually, on the north side of the riverbank, a road of 11 km was built and a road of 12 km on the south side.
Krishnamurthy Subramanian, executive vice -chairman, Afcons, said that the Chenab Railway Bridge is more than just a miracle of Engineering.
“It is a symbol of the determination of India to overcome the most formidable challenges with resourcefulness and courage,” Subramanian told PTI.
The company used the world’s longest crossbar cable cranes and specialized heavy machines as a tool for this ambitious project.
Himalayas tame slopes
“The old and steep slopes of the Himalayas were tamed with the help of massive consolidation statement, making them strong for the colossal arch foundations,” said the company, and emphasized challenges that it was confronted with.
“With the foundations, the construction of the arc from both sides was planned by the Cantilever construction technique. The first big moment of Triumph came on 5 April 2021, when a single majestic bow approached steadily from both benches that gathered at the crown,” it added.
“The viaduct construction was another unique challenge. There were several transition areas. Keep this in mind, the launch series was carefully planned in four sections,” the spokesperson.
Giridhar Rajagopalan, deputy director, Afcons, told PTI that for the first time in Indian railways, incremental launch was done on a transition curve and a longitudinal gradient, both at the same location, for the clothing of the viaduct section.
S Paramasivan, director, Afcons, “For Afcons, it represents our non-reversing dedication to building nation and our ability to reconsider infrastructure in the toughest areas. This bridge will inspire generations of engineers and is a tribute to the power of Indian engineering and teamwork.” For the first time in the history of the Indian Railways, a laboratory was accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration (NABL) set up to ensure that the quality was followed at every phase of the project.
The Chenab Bridge is located at an altitude of 359 meters above the river and is 35 meters higher than the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris and the world’s highest railway bridge over the Chenab River.
After inaugurating the Chenab bridge, the prime minister walked on and held the Tricolor high. He traveled in a railway motor coach to reach the place.
From mules and temporary roads to advanced engineering, the Chenab Bridge is a triumph of Indian innovation
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Published on June 7, 2025
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