The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail project is highly essential to provide an alternative and reliable transportation system to Jammu and Kashmir.
The world's highest rail bridge on the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district, which will provide direct connectivity to Kashmir Valley is in the last stages of construction. Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal had recently shared the news on Twitter.
"In a historic moment, the arch bottom of the Chenab bridge has been completed today. Next, the arch upper of the engineering marvel in making will be completed," he tweeted.
The minister, who also shared a video on his official Twitter handle, said it was set to become the world's highest railway bridge.
The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail project is highly essential to provide an alternative and reliable transportation system to Jammu and Kashmir to join Kashmir Valley to the Indian Railways network, the officials said.
They said that in view of the importance of this project in providing seamless and hassle-free connectivity in Jammu and Kashmir, the project was declared as a national project in 2002.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in November last year took stock of the progress of the ambitious Udhampur-Baramulla rail link project and gave explicit instructions to expedite the work and complete it by 2020.
The iconic bridge will be 359 metres above the Chenab river bed and will be 30 metres higher than the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris.
1. Chenab bridge 30 metres higher than iconic Eiffel Tower
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The world's highest rail bridge on the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district, which will provide direct connectivity to Kashmir Valley is in the last stages of construction. Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal had recently shared the news on Twitter.
The iconic bridge will be 359 metres above the Chenab river bed and will be 30 metres higher than the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris.
(Image Source: Youtube Video grab)
2. Kashmir to connect with rest of India through railway network
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The Northern Railway will be completing the most difficult 111-kilometre long section of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link by December 2022 which would connect Kashmir to the rest of India through the railway network, officials said.
(Image Source: Twitter/@PiyushGoyal)
3. Estimated cost of project is Rs 28,000 crore
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The 272 km railway line is being undertaken at an estimated cost of Rs 28,000 crore by the Northern Railway.
The first section connecting Udhampur to Katra and the third section between Banihal and Baramulla have been completed with both sections operational.
(Image Source: Youtube Video grab)
4. Deadline of the project is December 2022
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The Udhampur-Katra (25 km) section, Banihal-Qazigund (18 km) section and Qazigund-Baramulla (118 km) section have already been commissioned.
(Image Source: Youtube Video grab)
5. Katra-Qazigund leg most difficult stretch of project
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Katra-Qazigund leg, the most difficult stretch of the project, and its alignment of this stretch which is 129 km long, passes through Patni and Pir Panjal ranges.
(Image Source: Youtube Video grab)
6. Construction of 62 major bridges and minor bridges
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This alignment requires the construction of 62 important and major bridges and minor bridges, besides the construction of 35 tunnels, totaling a length of 103 km and bringing the percentage of the total length of the alignment of tunnels to approximately 80%.
(Image Source: Youtube Video grab)
