Chenab Rail Bridge

In the late 1970s, the Government of India planned to establish a railway line to connect Jammu with the Kashmir Valley. The line would connect Kashmir with the rest of the Indian railway network and aid in the economic activity of the region. It would also serve as a strategic link to the Kashmir region all round the year as the road link between Jammu and Kashmir region is often cut off by snowfall during winters. Though the foundation stone for the Jammu-Baramulla railway project was laid in 1983, constructed started only when the funds were allocated only in the mid 1990s. A survey was conducted in 1997 a feasibility study was conducted for connecting Udhampur in the Jammu region to Srinagar in the valley. A high-altitude rail bridge was approved to cross the river between Kauri and Bakkal, about north of Katra, in Reasi district. The planned construction area was located in a major seismic zone (zone V–highest risk) with a fractured geology, The section between Udhampur and Katra was opened for traffic in July 2014. == Design ==

The Indian Railways assigned the supervision of the bridge construction project to Konkan Railway Corporation on behalf of Northern Railways. The bridge was declared a national project due to its national importance in connecting Kashmir to the existing lines of Indian Railways. and the Indian Institute of Science helped with the study of the protection of the foundation of the bridge. The bridge consists of two parts– an approach bridge which is long and the -long deck arch bridge. == Construction and opening ==

The construction contract was awarded to Chenab Bridge Project Undertaking, a joint venture between Indian companies Afcons Infrastructure and VSL India, and South Korean company Ultra Construction. As the construction site was located amidst the Himalayas, the construction involved several logistical challenges. Due to the extreme location of the bridge, a new corrosion resistant painting scheme was developed, having a longer life time of about 15 years, compared to five to seven years in most other Indian railway bridges. The painting contract was awarded to AkzoNobel. The base supports of the bridge were completed in November 2017. Construction progressed actively in 2018, with initial plans to complete the bridge by May 2019. However, progress was slower than expected, and several deadlines were missed. By January 2020, only about 83% of the construction had been completed, with a subsequent planned opening in 2021. The arches were completed by April 2021, with a new deadline set for 2022. The bridge was fully completed and inaugurated on 13 August 2022. In February 2023, the laying of railway tracks on the bridge commenced, and consisted of a single railway track. While the initial target for commencing rail traffic was January 2024, the expected opening date was pushed to late 2024. Trial runs on various sections of the Katra–Banihal sector commenced in December 2023, with full-scale trial runs across the entire sector including the bridge in June 2024. The bridge was planned to open for regular railway traffic in April 2025, which was later postponed due to adverse weather. The bridge was opened for regular rail traffic by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on 6 June 2025, with the launch of train services connecting Katra in the Jammu region and Srinagar in the Kashmir valley. ==See also==