Indian Railways is considered to be the largest railway network in the world. It has its network across mountains, rivers, plains, hills etc. The railway is constructing bridges to reach remote locations of the country. In this context, Bihar’s Kosi Rail Mahasetu is of immense importance along the Indo-Nepal border.
This mega bridge was dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi through video conference on September 18, 2020. The rail bridge, spanned over the Kosi river, is billed to be a watershed moment in the history of the state. It connects the Mithila and Kosi region. With the construction of this mega rail bridge, the rail route between East Central Railways’ Samastipur division – Nirmali and Saraigarh was reduced from 298 kms to 22 kms.
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The bridge also connects the adjoining regions with the North East and also boosts its connectivity. The 1.9 km long mega bridge was sanctioned by the Central government during FY 2003-04. The project was built at a cost of Rs 516 crore. The construction of the project was completed at a time when the entire world was facing the effects of COVID-19 Pandemic.
The first train crossed this bridge on June 23, 2020. About 4,500 metric tonnes of steel and 6,600 cubic metres of concrete have been utilised in construction of Kosi Mahasetu.
History of Kosi Mahasetu
The construction of the mega rail bridge fulfills more than 80 years old dreams of the region. During British rule in 1887, a meter gauge rail line was built between Nirmali and Bhaptiyahi (Saraigarh). However, in 1934, the rail link was washed away due to the heavy flood and severe Indo Nepal earthquake. Since then, no attempt by any government to restore the rail link.
Son Bridge is the longest triple line bridge of Indian Railways. The bridge is 3 km long and has three Broad Gauge (BG) lines.