New Delhi. June 4- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Friday inaugurate the world’s highest railway arch bridge—the Chenab Bridge— connecting the Kashmir Valley with the rest of India via rail for the first time in history. The PM will also flag off Vande Bharat trains between Katra and Srinagar and launch multiple development projects worth over Rs 46,000 crore at Katra, the home to the Mata Vaishno Devi temple, according to an official statement.
Standing at a height of 359 metres, Chenab Bridge is an architectural marvel, the statement noted. The 1,315-metre-long steel arch bridge is engineered to withstand seismic and wind conditions. It will enhance connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar and reduce travel time between Katra and Srinagar by 2-3 hours.
The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country aiming to transform regional mobility and drive socio-economic integration.
The Anji Bridge is India’s first cable-stayed rail bridge that will serve the nation in a challenging terrain.
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch.
Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side, and partially into a vertical load on the arch supports, say experts.
