Media reports say Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the Chenab Railway Bridge – the tallest railway arch bridge in the world which is 35m taller than the Eiffel Tower.
Independent reports that towering at 359 meters above the Chenab River in the Reasi district of the federal territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the bridge is a key part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project and connects the Kashmir region with the rest of the country via an all-weather rail line.
Spanning 1,315m between the villages of Bakkal and Kauri, the bridge was constructed using over 28,000 tons of steel and designed to last 120 years. It features 93 deck segments, each weighing around 85 tons, and can withstand wind speeds of up to 266kmph and seismic tremors up to magnitude 8, according to the Indian Express.
After the inauguration, Mr Modi posted on X, formerly Twitter: “It’s a feeling of immense pride that this bridge seamlessly blends ambition with execution, reflecting India’s growing capability to build futuristic infrastructure in the most challenging terrains.”
The BBC says the showpiece infrastructure project is 35 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower and took the Indian Railways more the 20 years to build.
It is reportedly part of a 272-kilometer all-weather railway line that will pass through Jammu, ultimately going all the way to the Kashmir valley.
