Three iconic bridges that will put Indian Railways on the world stage!

Since its establishment, Indian railways have been driven by the socialistic ideology of people's welfare. It never aimed at large scale projects just because it never had the room for enough financial assistance and development vision from the successive Indian governments. It was always kept as a loss-making cheap transport service provider and thus making it a tool for political & electoral gains for the political parties.

After the NDA government came into power in 2014, the railway was one sector that saw some radical changes. The age-old ritual of presenting a separate railway budget was scraped and the rail budget was merged into the union budget. Also, the modernisation of railway stations and the introduction of faster and punctual trains brought a transformational change in the Indian people's perception of railways.

However, the biggest change came in the vision of the Indian Railways. It has now started looking toward building a robust, reliable, fast, comfortable, efficient, punctual and pan-India network of modern and advanced railways. In an order to transform this vision into reality, the ministry of railway embarked on a number of projects that would make Indian railways world-class and among the world's best. The list of the projects includes some of the longest and highest tunnels, highspeed and semi highspeed rail lines, dedicated freight corridors, modern airport like stations, and iconic bridges.

Here are three iconic, gigantic & unique bridges being built by Indian railways, that will put India at the centre stage when it comes to the world's best railway infrastructure.

The world's highest railway bridge: Chenab Bridge in J&K

Being built as a part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, the Chenab Bridge is an arch type steel and concrete bridge. It is presently in its final stages of construction and is expected to be inaugurated around the end of 2022. Once completed, it would stand at a height of 359 m (1,178 ft) from the deepest point of the Chenab river, above which it is being built. Its height is even taller than the Eiffel Tower (330m/1,083ft) in Paris, France, which makes it the world's highest railway bridge.

The bridge is designed to withstand earthquakes of up to 8 on the Richter scale and wind speed of up to 260 km per hour. It can also withstand high-intensity blasts of up to 40 kg-TNT. It is being built with special 63 mm-thick blast-proof steel, considering the area's propensity to frequent terror attacks. The bridge is the biggest, costliest and most complex project ever conceived by the Indian railways. After completion, it will truly connect the entire Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the country through the railways and prove to be the most critical infrastructure project in the history of the State of Jammu and Kashmir.

India's first cable-stayed railway bridge: Anji Khad bridge in J&K

Being constructed over the Anji river on the Katra – Reasi line of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, the bridge is India's first cable-stayed railway bridge. It has a unique asymmetric design due to the geographical challenges of the location. Its single pylon standing above the deep gorges of Anji Khad has a height of 196 m (643 ft). This also makes it one of the tallest cable-stay bridges in India.

The height of the bridge deck from the Anji river bed is 331 meters. That makes it the second-highest railway bridge after the iconic Chenab bridge. The bridge has been designed to handle heavy storms of strong winds and even explosions. It can also withstand earthquakes of up to 8 magnitudes. When completed around the first half of 2023, the bridge would emerge as one of the most beautiful and unique bridges in India and would provide a breathtaking view to the rail travellers passing over it.

Replacing the old landmark, building the new Pamban bridge

The old Pamban railway bridge which connects the town of Mandapam in mainland India with Pamban Island and Rameswaram is more than 100 years old now. It was India's first sea bridge and remained the country's longest bridge until the completion of the Bandra Worli Sea Link in Mumbai. It has a unique double-leaf bascule section midway, which can be raised to let ships and barges pass through. Due to over 100 years of use and several damages, the bridge was considered risky and dangerous for use by the railways and thus the decision to build a new bridge was taken.

The new bridge is being built parallel to the old one and would be one of a kind in India when completed in 2023. It would be the country's first vertical lift railway sea bridge. While the old Pamban bridge used a Scherzer rolling lift model and opened upwards at an angle of 90 degrees, the new Pamban bridge will consist of a single deck panel that will lift up vertically, remaining parallel to the deck, and will allow the sea vessels to cross through. Also, while the old bridge used a manually operated lifting span, the new one will be an automatic one using several sensors at both ends. Once it becomes operational, the new Pamban railway bridge will become a new modern landmark beside the old landmark, the old Pamban railway bridge.

Keywords: India, Indian Railways, Bridge, Pamban Bridge, Anji Khad Bridge, Chenab Bridge, World's highest railway bridge, Iconic, Construction, Infrastructure, Jammu and Kashmir, Development, USBRL Project, Railway bridge, India's first, Cable-Stayed, Vertical lift.