Railways Successfully Conducts Trial Run On India's First Cable-Stayed Rail Bridge, Paving Way For Train Services To Kashmir

The Railways successfully conducted a trial run of a tower wagon on India’s first cable-stayed rail bridge, the Anji Khad Bridge, in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district, marking a significant step toward launching rail services to Kashmir in January next year.

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared a video of the trial run on the social media platform X, while the Railway Ministry hailed the development in a statement: “Giving wings to connectivity in Jammu and Kashmir, the trial run of a tower wagon on India’s first cable-stayed rail bridge, the Anji Khad Bridge, was successfully completed for the USBRL project.”

The Anji Khad Bridge, part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project, is an engineering marvel designed to connect the Kashmir Valley with the rest of India.

The bridge features a 331-meter-high pylon above the riverbed and a total length of 473.25 meters. It is supported by 48 cables on its lateral and central spans and stands as the second-highest railway bridge in India, after the Chenab Bridge.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the completion of the bridge, while Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh announced plans for the Prime Minister to inaugurate the Vande Bharat train connecting Kashmir to New Delhi in January.

The USBRL project, which spans 272 kilometers, has seen 255 kilometers completed, with the remaining stretch between Katra and Reasi expected to be finished by December.