The Indian Railways completed a successful trial of an electric engine from Sangaldan to Reasi, crossing the world’s highest steel arch rail bridge, the Chenab Bridge. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared this milestone on X (formerly Twitter), on Sunday (June 17) and shared a video with the caption, “The first trial train has successfully completed its journey from Sangaldan to Reasi.”
Vaishnaw also said, “All construction works for the USBRL are nearly finished, with tunnel No.1 remaining partially incomplete.”
Chenab Bridge – ‘Taller than Eiffel tower’
The Chenab Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir stands taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris, marking a significant engineering feat under the Udhampur Srinagar Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) Project. Indian Railways nears completion of this project, which will connect the Kashmir Valley to the national railway network.
Constructed over the Chenab River gorge in Reasi district, Jammu and Kashmir, the Chenab Bridge reaches a height of 359 meters (approximately 1,178 feet), surpassing the Eiffel Tower by 35 meters.
CRS to conduct 2-day inspection of railway line
Railways Safety Commissioner D C Deshwal is scheduled to conduct a comprehensive two-day inspection later this month on the 46-km Sangaldan-Reasi section of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail link (USBRL) in Jammu and Kashmir. This segment features the world’s highest steel arch rail bridge over the Chenab River and several significant tunnels.
Deepak Kumar, Chief Public Relations Officer of Northern Railway, emphasized the critical nature of this inspection, which is slated for June 27 and 28, in the final preparations for the section’s commissioning. “The works of Sangaldan to Reasi will be completed before the scheduled inspection of CRS,” news agency PTI quoted Kumar as saying.