India will not only be the home to the world’s tallest rail bridge over River Chenab by next year but in order to make it a real global tourist attraction, the area adjoining the 359-metre steel bridge across the Pir Panjal range will have facilities like bungee jumping, water sports and trekking besides a host of restaurants.
The Rs1,200-crore bridge, 35 metres higher than the imposing Eiffel Tower, is part of the 325-km Udhampur-Srinagar Rail Corridor which was declared a national project after it became economically unviable. In two years time, the Indian Railways along with Jammu & Kashmir Tourism hopes to start generating revenue through the commercial activities around the steel bridge.
The 467-metre main steel arch span is being designed and forged at units in nearby Punjab and as far as Nagpur and being transported in bits.
The engineering marvel, coming up in the most daunting geology of the world and more challenging than Andes in South America and Alps in Europe, is an attempt to boost tourism. It has increased employment opportunities in the Valley State.
Construction of the 1.315-km-long bridge, with the expertise of Konkan Railway Corporation limited (KRCl) and design consultants from Germany and Finland, is in full swing over the river.
“Realising its scenic beauty and tourism potential, we had invited the State tourism department which was excited to do some activities besides having food courts and restaurants situated on the hillocks. There will be sight-seeing points, trekking routes, bungee jumping among others in these difficult terrains,” KRCl Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Sanjay Gupta told The Pioneer.
The rail bridge will have two halts at both ends to cater to the demands of tourists as well as locals, who find livelihood in the construction activities of railways.
The Northern Railways had to first construct 22 km of access roads to these sites near Kauri village, which has very scattered population just like any hilly region. Footpaths and cycle trails will be provided adjacent to the single line tracks.
“More than 500 people from these areas have received employment. I am glad to say earlier we faced skilled hands like welders, fitters etc but now we are getting them from this region only,” said a site officer.
Since the area is in a high seismic zone and also near the Indo-Pak border, Railways in consultation with the DRDO has designed the bridge to withstand any kind of major blast including 40TNT used by terrorists. There will be sensors on the bridge to check the wind velocity and as soon as the wind speed exceeds 90 kmph, the signal on the track will turn red preventing train movement.
The mammoth bridge would consume about 24,000 tonnes of steel with 63 mm-thick special blast-proof steel. With a life span of 120 years, the mega steel structure will be painted with a special corrosion-resistant paint which lasts for 15 years. Amongst the host of safety measures are aerial security, online monitoring and warning systems to protect passengers and rolling stocks in critical conditions.
Northern Railway Chief Engineer BS Tomar said while the schedule for completion of the bridge is by March 2019, the engineers are hopeful of completing it by the end of December 2018. The bridge is the crucial link to the 111-km stretch between Katra and Banihal which is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla section of the Kashmir Railway project.
“While Udhampur to Katra was commissioned in July 2014, Qazigund to Baramulla was commissioned in October 2009 and Banihal to Qazigund in June 2013. The only missing link in this entire Kashmir rail link is the Katra to Banihal stretch and Chenab Rail Bridge is part of it. Once completed, Kashmir will be connected directly to any part of India. The link is slated to be commissioned in March 2021,” said Ministry of Railways Director General (Information) Anil Saxena.