- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Chenab Railway Bridge, the world's tallest railway arch bridge at 359m above the Chenab River, 35m taller than the Eiffel Tower, in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.
- The bridge, a key part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, connects the Kashmir region with the rest of India via an all-weather rail line, spanning 1,315m and designed to last 120 years.
- Construction involved stabilising slopes in the fractured Himalayan geology, using cement grouting, steel rod reinforcement.
- The USBRL project, approved in 2003, includes 36 tunnels and 943 bridges, costing Rs437.8bn (£3.7bn), with the Chenab Bridge alone costing approximately Rs14.86bn (£128m).
- The Chenab Bridge is expected to significantly reduce travel time between Katra and Srinagar to three hours via the Vande Bharat Express.
IN FULL
Pictured: World’s highest railway arch bridge ‘taller than Eiffel Tower’ opened in India
