Page 46 - 10 Booming Real Estate & Logistics Companies in APAC 2022

TRAVEL
The Chenab bridge, a rail bridge
under construction by Indian Rail-
ways (IR) between Bakkal and Kauri in
Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district,
has become part of the country’s
engineering folklore. This magnif-
icent arch bridge has become a
symbol of a resurrected India, and
not just because it is the mainstay
for seamless railway connectivity to
the Kashmir valley. Its magnificent
arch, which is far higher than the tip
of the Eiffel Tower, and the fact that
it would be the world’s tallest rail
bridge have come to proudly embody
Indian engineers’ skill and proficiency.
“INFRASTRUCTURE MARVEL IN
THE MAKING”
The bridge has been described as a
“infrastructure marvel in the making”
by a number of railway ministers and
government/IR officials. For nearly
two decades, we’ve been hearing
about this bridge. It was supposed to
be finished in 2009, but the project
was halted in 2008 due to concerns
about its stability. Following a re-ex-
amination of the issue, construction
was restarted, and the completion
date has been slipping since then,
from the initial 2015 to 2021 to last
year. As all of these targets were
missed, and IR continued to extol
the project’s enormity in the media,
a sense of cynical and sneaky déjà
vu became palpable among the
general public. A signature project
was in the danger of becoming a
victim of its overhyped narrative.
|46 thecorporatereview.com | India | Vol. 3 | Issue 5| July 2022
A piece in Daily Pioneer reads, “The
light at the end of the tunnel is now
visible. The imposing steel arch of
the bridge across the river Chenab
has finally been completed. Not with
standing various delays in the way,
this event in itself is a big achieve-
ment and a firm step forward to
achieve the dream of linking Kashmir
valley with the rest of the country.
There is not an iota of doubt that
this project task required great
engineering skills right from design
to fabrication to erection etc. The
task of construction of the bridge
has also been in the same league.
The bridge is the most challenging
and fascinating structure of
Udhampur- Srinagar- Baramulla rail
link project. The steel arch bridge, most challenging task has been to withstand wind speeds of over
amidst Hills of mighty Himalayas build two foundations for the arch, 266 kmph, an unprecedented feat.
engorging the serpentine Chenab which required massive special- This work involved approximately
River is indeed a symbol of technical
ized soil /rock strengthening work 30,000 MT high quality steel fabri-
excellence of Indian Engineers. It is in the young Himalayan region. cation and sophisticated launching
1315 metre long with, with an arch The steel pier at Katra end foun- scheme. The entire fabrication of
span of 467 meter and stands 359 dation of arch itself is about 120 steel work is being done at a special
m high above the river. At both m tall. Besides the arch, the other fabrication workshop established
end of the arch, there is viaduct most challenging task has been to
portion and the complete configu- build two foundations for the arch, at site. The launching of the arch
ration of the bridge is a compound segments was done with the help
and complex structure. Over the which required massive special- of a specially-designed wire rope
central arch, there are eleven steel ized soil /rock strengthening work crane and after fixing every piece
in the young Himalayan region. of arch and the cantilever arch was
piers supporting 10 spans of 48 m.
The steel pier at Katra end foun- Apart from being the highest rail tied with wire ropes to hold them
dation of arch itself is about 120 bridge in the world, it has many in position, till the last central
m tall. Besides the arch, the other firsts to its credit. The bridge can piece was inserted in position.”
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