the world’s highest rail bridge over the Chenab river in the Kouri area of Reasi district, the much-awaited engineering marvel, achieved another milestone when the overarch deck of the bridge was completed with a golden joint. The golden joint shall now pave the way for engineers to lay tracks on the bridge. With tracks over it, Kashmir will be linked with the rest of India via rail network for the first time since Independence.
An elated Surender Mahi, chief administrative officer of the USBRL Konkan Railways said, “It was a very big project for all of us. To reach here we had to construct 26 km of approach roads having bridges and tunnels”.
Mahi said that the engineers faced several challenges but at last gifted engineering marvel to the people of India.“In the 90 days pending works of the bridge, including rail tracks, shall be completed, and by the next two years, i.e, by December 2024, the train will pass over this bridge on way to Srinagar. The work on rail tracks beyond this bridge (Bakkal) towards Srinagar is already on,” said Mahi.
The project is going to be the game changer in Jammu and Kashmir by integrating with the entire mainland of India and boosting the socio-economy of the UT.
