Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the world’s highest railway bridge, an architectural feat soaring over the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir. Completed at a cost of ₹1,486 crore, the project took over eight years to reach fruition and stands as a key milestone in India’s northern rail connectivity.
The Prime Minister walked across the Chenab bridge bearing the national flag, marking the occasion as a moment of national pride. He arrived at the site in a rail engine coach accompanied by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
Soon after, Modi also inaugurated the Anji bridge, India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge, constructed over the river Anji.
Towering 359 metres above the riverbed—35 metres higher than Paris’s Eiffel Tower—the 1,315-metre-long Chenab bridge is a steel arch marvel, designed to endure high seismic activity and wind speeds typical of the Himalayan terrain. It forms a vital link in the 111-km railway stretch between Katra and Banihal.
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Though sanctioned in 2002, work on the Chenab bridge began in earnest only in 2017. Preliminary infrastructure included 26 kilometres of approach roads and a 400-metre tunnel. The cable crane for lifting heavy steel segments was operational from August 2013.
The construction demanded unparalleled precision, especially during the 467-metre arch span joining. Engineers achieved the flawless closure of the arch in April 2021. The deck superstructure, extending 785 metres, was launched from both the Kauri and Bakkal ends and was united over the completed arch. This major feat culminated in the 'Golden Joint' ceremony on 13 August 2022.
Railway engineers hailed the bridge as a game-changer for the Himalayan region, noting its ability to withstand extreme winds, seismic events and even potential blasts.
Following this, the Prime Minister inaugurated the Anji bridge, now the country’s second-highest railway bridge. Unlike the Chenab structure, the Anji bridge adopts an asymmetrical cable-stayed design. The change in plan—decided in 2016—was prompted by the region's fragile geology, which made an arch structure impractical.
Spanning 725 metres, the Anji bridge comprises an approach viaduct, central embankment and a main span supported by 96 steel cables ranging from 82 to 295 metres in length. It traverses the deep gorges of the Anji river, a tributary of the Chenab, amid the rugged young fold mountains of the Himalayas.
The bridge has been fortified to resist strong gales, seismic tremors and blast forces. With a deck width of 15 metres, the structure reinforces India’s push for infrastructural prowess even in its most challenging landscapes.
The dual inauguration marks a significant leap in the ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail project and a critical step in integrating the Kashmir Valley with the rest of India via a modern, all-weather rail network.
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