Trial run conducted between Sangaldan - Reasi section on World's highest Chenab rail bridge
Jun 20, 2024
Reasi (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], June 20 : A trial run of the MEMU train (Mainline Electric Multiple Unit) on the newly constructed Electrified Line Section (Reasi-Sangaldan) with a route length of 46 km on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramula Rail Link (USBRL) project was conducted today at a speed of 40 kmph, an official statement said.
It was successfully carried out starting at 12:35 pm from Sangaldan and reaching Reasi at 14:05 pm. On the way, it passed through nine tunnels with a combined length of 40.787 km and the longest tunnel, T-44, of 11.13 km. The first ever full train crossed over the iconic bridge between Dugga and Bakkal stations across the Chenab River, which is the world's highest railway bridge with a central span of 467 metres at a staggering height of 359 metres, it said.
The stations Reasi, Bakkal, Dugga and Sawlakote are situated in the Reasi District of Jammu and Kashmir. The Railway Electrification work on this section has been executed with state-of-the-art technology, ROCS (Rigid Overhead Conductor System) at 25 kV, for the first time on Indian Railways.
At present, the trains operate along the railway line from Kanyakumari to Katra, while services run from Baramulla to Sangaldan in the Kashmir Valley.
The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project will be completed by year-end.
The USBRL project, including the 48.1 km long Banihal-Sangaldan section, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 20, 2024.
Phase I of the project, covering the 118 km long Qazigund-Baramulla section, was inaugurated in October 2009. Subsequent phases saw the inauguration of the 18 km long Banihal-Qazigund section in June 2013 and the 25 km long Udhampur-Katra section in July 2014.
The Chenab Rail Bridge, constructed 359 metres (around 109 feet) above the Chenab River in the Jammu and Kashmir region, is some 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower.
The 1,315 metre-long bridge is part of a broader project that aims to make the Kashmir valley accessible by the Indian Railway network.
