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northern railway scripts a new narrative in construction engineering with the launch of main arch of iconic chenab bridge under construction on the katra-banihal rail section today
launch of the main arch includes world’s longest cable crane arrangment with heavy segments launched from two ends of the bridge viz. kauri end and bakkal end
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day today by commencing the launch of the main arch of the bridge today on the iconic bridge being constructed on river chenab on katra- banihal section as part of the flagship udhampur-srinagar-baramulla rail link (usbrl) project. the launch of the main arch commenced this morning after a ceremonial program under the aegis of shri mk gupta, member engineering, railway board, shri ak sachan chief administrative officer, usbrl at the chenab construction site. the launch of the main arch features as a noteworthy endeavor as it entails carrying heavy segments from the two ends of the bridge viz. kauri end and bakkal end and includes categorically the world longest cable crane arrangement. senior officers of krcl and northern railway along with construction partners were present on this historic occasion.
it may be interesting to note that the chenab bridge on katra- banihal section of usbrl project is the world's highest railway arch bridge at 359 m height. world renowned national & international consultants have been engaged during various stages of project. detailed geo-physical studies, seismic studies, slope stability studies have been included. the bridge shall be about 5 times higher than renowned qutub minar and about 35 m higher than eiffel tower. first time on the globe, bridge has been designed for blast load in consultation with drdo. the erection of the bridge is a project in itself. to achieve these pylons were erected on either side of the river, and two auxiliary self-propelled cable cranes were used to tow temporary auxiliary ropes across these pylons. the ropes were used to support the partly finished arch parts. both the embankments of chenab facing downstream have hard cherty dolomite & quartzite forming steep cliffs. the launching is typically performed in a series of increments so that additional sections can be added to the rear of the superstructure unit prior to subsequent launches.
the bridge is envisaged to create its own benchmarks in construction engineering and unparalleled records.
three massive workshops for undertaking fabrication of steel structure has been commissioned at srinagar end of bridge and one at katra end of the bridge. for launching purpose, arrangements in the form of pylons with cable cranes spanning the entire gorge have been completed successfully. the cable crane assembly including pylons at span of 915 meters is the longest in the world . for the first time on indian railways viaduct was launched on curve of 2.74 degree.
the details of the chenab bridge including different stages of execution and scope of the remaining works is enclosed as an attachment.