The making of Chenab rail bridge captured in satellite images

India Today

06-06-2025

The satellite images of the newly inaugurated Chenab Rail Bridge, the world's highest railway arch bridge, provide a visual journey through the construction of this engineering marvel over nearly a decade.In 2017, early satellite imagery captured auxiliary structures on the two mountain peaks flanking the Chenab River in Dharot, highlighting the initial stages of the bridge's construction. By 2022, images showed the steel arch—spanning 1,315 metres—almost complete, with just a small segment left to be joined. The latest image from February 2025 reveals the bridge in its final form: a fully completed structure that used 25,000 tonnes of metal—three times the amount used in the Eiffel Tower. advertisementThe Chenab Bridge is a key component of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project and now seamlessly connects the Kashmir Valley to the rest of India via rail. Its construction in the young and geologically unstable Himalayan range posed numerous challenges. Located in a high seismic zone, the site required Indian Railways to undertake extensive geological and structural studies. The design was modified multiple times to endure simulated wind speeds of up to 266 km/h.IIT Roorkee conducted earthquake response modelling, ensuring the bridge could withstand earthquakes as strong as the 2001 Gujarat quake, which measured 7.7 on the Richter scale. Among the toughest hurdles was simply reaching the remote site to deliver heavy construction equipment and materials.
Built by Afcons Infrastructure, a part of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, the bridge also meets high security standards. It was engineered to remain standing even if one of its 14 pillars collapses. 'The bridge can withstand a powerful explosion of up to 40 kg of TNT,' Afcons claims, adding that train services would continue—albeit at reduced speeds—even if the structure suffers damage or loses a pillar.Must Watch
IN THIS STORY#Jammu and Kashmir