Indian Railways Completes Trial Run On India's First Cable-Stayed Bridge In Jammu And Kashmir

SRINAGAR: Indian Railways has successfully conducted the first test run of a tower wagon on the Anji Khad Bridge, part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project. This will be a crucial step towardS linking the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country through rail and services are likely to commence from January 2025.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw tweeted the video of the trial run to commemorate the feat. The ministry confirmed the development by announcing that "the trial run of the Anji Khad Bridge, an important structure of the USBRL project, has been completed."

The Anji Khad Bridge is an engineering marvel completed last month. It is a single pylon of 331 meters high and supported by 48 cables over its lateral and central sections. The total length of the bridge measures 473.25 meters with a 120-meter viaduct and a 94.25-meter embankment. It now ranks as India’s second-highest railway bridge, after the Chenab Bridge, which stands at 359 meters above the riverbed.

The USBRL project, spanning 272 kilometers, is nearing completion, with 255 kilometers already operational. The remaining section between Katra and Reasi is on track for completion by December 2024.

In a related development, the Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the Vande Bharat train service connecting Kashmir to New Delhi in January 2025. This development underlines a very significant step toward enhancing connectivity and accessibility for the region.

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