World record: The highest railway bridge over the Chenab opened!

World record: The highest railway bridge over the Chenab opened!

Reasi-Distrikt, Jammu und Kashmir, Indien - The Chenab Bridge in Kashmir is now officially the highest railway bridge in the world. After decades of construction, it was inaugurated for rail traffic on June 6, 2025. This majestic bridge spans the Chenab River at a height of 359 meters and overwhelms the Eiffel Tower in Paris by 29 meters.

With an impressive span of 467 meters of the middle steel arch, the Chenab bridge represents one of the largest arch bridges worldwide. The entire structure extends over 1,315 meters and consists of a raspberry bridge of 530 meters and a 785 meter long bridge. It is located between the Kauri and Bakkal train stations on the Jammu-Baramulla line.

building history and technical details

The Jammu-Baramulla Railway project, which is intended to promote the economic connection between Jammu and the Kashmir Valley, was launched in the late 1970s. However, the foundation for the bridge was only laid in 1983, and the actual construction work began in the 1990s. The construction contract was awarded to a joint venture between Indian companies and a South Korean company.

The Chenab Bridge was built with a cost of ₹ 14.86 billion (approx. $ 180 million). Rajendra Kumar Kalings, the former director of Konkan Railway Corporation, led Rajendra Kumar Kalings. The basic supports were completed in November 2017 and the arch construction was completed by April 2021.

The bridge was designed so that it withstands extreme conditions, including earthquakes up to the magnitude 8 on the Richter scale, high intensity explosions and temperatures up to −20 ° C and wind speeds of up to 266 km/h. The lifespan of the bridge is estimated for 120 years and it is designed for speeds of up to 100 km/h (62 mph).

construction and material use

Impressive amounts of material were used for the construction of the bridge: around 28,660 tons of steel, 66,000 m³ of concrete and 84 kilometers of bolts and cables. The construction received a special corrosion -resistant coat of paint that has a lifespan of around 15 years. The planning process was supported by WSP Finland, Leonhardt, Andrä and Partner and Vienna Consulting Engineers.

The track laying on the bridge began in February 2023, and the first test drives took place in June 2024. The full completion of the bridge was announced in August 2022. The Chenab Bridge is not only a national project, but also an important infrastructure project to support the economic activity in the region. It is therefore expected to have a significant impact on mobility in the Kashmir Valley.

Further information on the bridge can be found on href = "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/chenab_rail_bridge"> wikipedia