Manipur to Get World's Tallest Railway Bridge

Guwahati: In its effort to connect the northeastern state of Manipur to the rest of the country, the North Eastern Frontier Railway is constructing the tallest Railway bridge of the world in Manipur at 141 metres surpassing the existing record of 139 metre Mala-Rijeka viaduct, at Montenegro in Europe.

Constructed as a part of the 111-km-long Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal new broad gauge line project, the bridge will come with a minimum of 45 tunnels. One of the tunnels is being estimated to be 10.280 km long, making it the longest railway tunnel in the Northeast. It will pass through steep rolling hills of the Patkai region, through a number of deep gorges and over several rivers flowing at low ground levels. The total length of the bridge will be 703 meter

The pillars have already been built, and as the piers of the bridge are being constructed using hydraulic augers and specially designed ‘slip-form technique’ to ensure efficient and continual construction. Self-erecting electric lifts at each pier cater to the safe and speedy conveyance of men and materials to the top. The steel girders are pre-fabricated in a workshop, transported

Stating that to build such huge structure is certainly a herculean task, North East Frontier Railway's Senior Public Relations Officer SK Ojah said, due to its importance as a national project it picked momentum in the last three years. it is targeted to get ready by 2022. On completion, the bridge will be featured with a total of 45 tunnels and the longest tunnel will be 10.280 km long. This will be the longest railway tunnel in the North East.

Manipur is already known for having the world's only Floating National Park, "Keibul Lamjao National Park", this Bridge on completion will help Manipur walk an extra mile in the Tourism Map.

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