Kashmir Rail Link Project: Cable-stayed Anji Khad Bridge Construction Picks Up Pace

Anji Bridge, the first cable-stayed railway bridge in the country, is coming up at a faster pace with heavy construction activities at a height of 331 metres above the river bed to connect Katra with Reasi in the Kashmir rail link project.

The rail bridge is to be supported by 96 cables made in Slovakia amid the young mountains of Himalayas having extremely complex, fragile and daunting geological features in the form of faults, folds and thrusts and seismic proneness of the region.

Designed by an Italian firm and proof checking done by a British company, the bridge is expected to be completed by the year's end.

With 30 cables already being fitted, another 60 are expected to be ready shortly.

According to the plan, it is an asymmetrical cable-stayed bridge balanced on a single pylon of 193 metre height, supporting the bridge deck with 96 cables.

Project Deputy Chief Engineer Sanjay Kumar said the work is going at full speed. The slope protection work is almost complete and we are hopeful for its early completion of cable installation also. 

About 80 km by road from Jammu, the bridge with an estimated cost of Rs 435 crore is a crucial part in the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link project. Till now, the bridge has incurred about Rs 300 crore expenditure.

Anji Khad bridge, in local parlance, is divided into three parts for ease of construction and typical site solutions; the detailed site-specific investigations were being carried out by IIT Roorkee and IIT Delhi.

The bridge is being designed to facilitate train movement upto 100 kmph speed. While the first part is a 120 metre long approach viaduct on Reasi side, the 473 metre main bridge with cable-stayed portion is crossing the deep valley.

Located between the main bridge and an approach viaduct, the 95 metre long central embankment is the third part of the Anji bridge.

Standing at a height of 331 metres above the river bed, the total length of the bridge is 725.50 metres consisting of the main bridge having a length of 473.25 metres.

Various unique techniques and equipment are being used with state-of-the-art tower crane of 40 tons capacity with extendable height upto 205 metres for facilitating the construction activities at height upto 193 metre.

The disturbances in Jammu and Kashmir, non-availability of sand, kisan strike and Covid-19 are major reasons for the delay in executing the project.

Also Read: How This Ambitious Kashmir Rail Link Project Is Bringing Economic Prosperity To The Region