The dream of connecting Kashmir to the Kanyakumari rail link will be a reality very soon as passenger rain today ran for the first time on Anji Khand Bridge, world's highest railway bridge constructed on the river Chenab in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir. With this successful trial, the journey of rail to Kashmir has reached its final stage. In such a situation, now the dream of rail to Kashmir (Delhi to Kashmir) is at the last stage.
Passing through the Himalayas and snow-clad mountains, the first trial train successfully ran on the Katra-Banihal section. With this successful trial, the rail journey to Kashmir has reached its final stage. Now the final statutory safety inspection will be done next week for rail services to Kashm
Six trials conducted last month
Railways conducted six trials on various sections of the track last month, including India's first cable-stayed rail bridge, Anji Khad bridge, an arch bridge over Chenab at Kauri, and the highest railway bridge in the world, Chenab Railway Bridge.
Sandeep Gupta, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL), while addressing the workers said that we have done today's trial under safety tests. "We were a part of this trial and we are happy to inform you that it was successful", he said.
Inspection will be done on 7th and 8th January
He said that the Railway Safety Commissioner would inspect on 7th and 8th January. He said that after this, the commissioner will submit a report which will guide further action on starting train service to Kashmir.
Gupta said that so far everything has been fine. "We will return to Katra at a speed of 75 km per hour. When the Railway Safety Commissioner conducts the trial, during that time the test will be done at a speed of 110 km per hour. This test is in preparation for that", he said.
The first train running between Katra and Banihal thrilled the passengers. The special thing is that it passed through the snow-covered mountains. Officials said that the train reached Banihal railway station at around 1:30 pm. Officials from Northern Railways and construction companies were involved in this project.
Chenab Rail Bridge is taller than Eiffel Tower
The Chenab Rail Bridge stands 359 meters above the river, taller than the Eiffel Tower, and is 1,315 meters long. It's part of a larger effort to connect Kashmir Valley to India's railway network. The project began with the Qazigund-Baramulla section in 2009 and continued with more sections opening up until 2014.
This arch bridge is being built on the Chenab River in the Reasi district of the Jammu division, and is 35 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower. The height of its arch is 359 meters above the water level of the Chenab River. Salal-A and Dugga railway stations have been connected on both sides with the launch of the overarch deck of the Chenab bridge.
The bridge is being made earthquake-resistant. This bridge is part of the 272 km-long railway project from Udhampur to Baramulla. The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link is an ambitious project of the country.
The length of the 17-pillared bridge is 1315 meters, and 28,660 metric tonnes of steel have been used in its construction at Rs 1,486 crore. The installed arch weighs 10,619 metric tons. The steel used in the structure is suitable for temperatures ranging from minus 10 °C to minus 40 °C. The minimum lifespan of the bridge is 120 years. It is being made to run trains at a speed of 100 km.
