Industrial History: 2024 Chenab Bridge in India, "World's Highest Bridge"

(Highest Bridges; Satellite, 305 photos)

The red&white structure in the upper-left corner in the photo below is one of the two towers that held the cableway that was used to construct the arch.

IndianExpress, Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav
"It stands at the height of 1,178 feet [359m] above the riverbed, making it 35 metres taller than Paris’ tourist icon, the Eiffel Tower."
Even though it has been over two decades since the bridge was approved in 2003, the construction of the arch took just three years.

TimesOfIndia, 1 of 9 photos
They have run a trial train over the bridge. The main arch is 467m (1,532', 0.3 miles). The bridge is 1.3km (0.8 miles) long. Part of the delay was that the mountain slopes required extensive stabilization to anchor the arch.

Sakowski via HighestBridges, this webpage has many construction photos and diagrams

1,188 feet high / 362 meters high

1,532 foot span / 467 meter span

2023

Trainbook posted

The construction of the arch of the world’s #highest_railway_bridge that soars 359 meters above the bed of the #Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir was completed in #India.

The 1.3-kilometre-long [0.8 mile] bridge aims to boost connectivity to the Kashmir Valley and it is being constructed at a cost of ₹ 1,486 crores as part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project.

Source:

https://tinyurl.com/yc4jupyb

World exam posted two images with the comment:

Why Chenab Bridge has Single Track..?
The Chenab Bridge in India, a significant engineering marvel, has a single track primarily due to several technical and practical considerations:
1. The design of the bridge is optimized for a single track to ensure structural stability and safety. A single track allows for a lighter, more flexible structure that can better handle the dynamic loads of passing trains and environmental stresses like wind and seismic activity.
2. As the world's highest railway bridge, Chenab Bridge holds significant importance for tourism. To enhance the passenger experience, the bridge has been designed to be wide enough for passengers to stand on both sides and enjoy the breathtaking views & also can be used for maintenance purposes.
Furthermore Tunnel on either side of the bridge feature single tracks. Laying double tracks inside the tunnel poses a risk of destabilizing the surrounding mountains.
3. The current and anticipated traffic on the railway line does not justify the need for a double track. The single track is sufficient to handle the expected train traffic, especially given the current stage of development in the region.
4. A single track reduces the complexity of maintenance and operational management. It simplifies the monitoring and upkeep of the bridge, ensuring long-term reliability and safety.
Overall, the single track design of the Chenab Bridge is a balanced approach that aligns with the engineering, economic, and operational requirements of the project.

Kamal Gupta shared