Chenab Rail Bridge To Be New Tourist Destination In Jammu And Kashmir

The world's highest railway bridge in Jammu and Kashmir is set to be a new destination for tourists. The Indian Railways is building viewing platforms for visitors to see the iconic Chenab bridge which is taller than the Eiffel Tower. 

The vantage point facility is likely to be completed soon and opened to visitors to see the  steel arch bridge over the Chenab river. The rail bridge is an engineering marvel that was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year. 

Officials say the observation decks will offer an opportunity for the visitors to see Railways' most striking symbols of engineering rather than merely experiencing it in transit.

It's going to be a great destination for tourists to see this Himalayan infrastructure landmark up close. The vantage point facility will offer people a panoramic view of the 1300-meter-long bridge which stands 359 meters above the river bed,'' said an official. 

Officials say an engineering museum is being developed to showcase the construction of the bridge at different stages and the challenges involved while  building it. 

The iconic bridge is the part of 272 km long Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla (USBRL) that has provided all-weather rail connectivity to Kashmir. 

Besides all weather connectivity, it has reduced the distance and travel time between Jammu and Srinagar. From Katra to Srinagar, the travel time on Vande Bharat is now less than 3 hours.

The railway line travels through 36 tunnels and over 900 bridges. Of 110 km between Katra and Qazigund, over 90 km is travelled through tunnels- among them the longest rail tunnels in India. 

Chenab bridge has been constructed in difficult Himalayan terrain and a highly seismic region. The steel arc bridge has been designed to withstand extreme winds and a magnitude 8 earthquake. 

So far, people were able to see the bridge from the train window  while travelling to Kashmir. The observation platforms will offer a new experience to people and turn the  bridge into a tourist destination.

"People can now see the scale of the construction of the bridge. A railway track cutting through the Himalayas and connecting two sides of the mountains. Visitors can see the depth of the Chenab and how engineers have managed to build this engineering marvel in most difficult circumstances,'' said an official. 

The engineering museum near the bridge will offer visitors a chance to see the bridge beyond its height. The bridge was inaugurated in June last year after it took over 20 years to complete. The museum will offer a rare opportunity to the visitors  to know the story behind its construction and the challenges engineers face while building it.

The bridge and rail link has boosted tourism in Kashmir as many pilgrims of Mata Vaishno Devi at Katra use the train to reach Srinagar in less than three hours.