Article Title: Valley gets closer
07-06-2025
Geography Current Affairs Analysis
Context
• Chenab Bridge, the world’s tallest railway bridge, set to be inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi in J&K’s Reasi district on Friday. The bridge is part of the Udhampur Srinagar-Baramulla rail link, which will provide direct connectivity to Kashmir Valley.
• Built at a cost of around Rs 1,400 crore, the Chenab bridge is the highest rail and arch bridge in the world with a dock height of 359 meters from the river bed, 35 meters taller than Paris’s iconic Eiffel Tower.
• Built between Bakkal and Kauri in Reasi district, the bridge falls in zone-V, a major seismic zone with a fractured geology. One of the biggest challenges was to build the bridge without obstructing the flow of the Chenab river.
• In the absence of any road link, carrying heavy machinery and material to the site was another big challenge.
• It is designed to have a lifespan of 120 years and handle train speeds upto 100 km per hour. It can withstand earthquakes up to a magnitude of 8 on the Richter Scale.
• Its steel structure can withstand temperatures up to -20 degree C and wind speeds up to 266 km per hour.
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