India gets its first 'cable-stayed rail bridge' with 96 cables

 

India's Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw published a time-lapse video showing the construction of the nation's first cable-stayed rail bridge, known as the "Anji Khad bridge," on Saturday. The bridge is now finished.

The 96 cables that make up the cable-stayed rail bridge have a combined length of 653 kilometres.

Vaishnaw captioned the time-lapse video she posted with the statement, "In 11 months, India's first cable-stayed rail bridge will be completed. There are 96 wires set up! #AnjiKhadBridge PS: There are 653 kilometres in total of cable strands.

In 11 months, India’s first cable stayed rail bridge is ready.
All 96 cables set! #AnjiKhadBridge
PS: Total length of cable strands 653 km🌁 pic.twitter.com/CctSXFxhfa

— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) April 28, 2023

Every single cable's placement, from the first to the last, is visible in the video.

The bridge was constructed as part of the most difficult Udampur-Srinagar-Baramulla-Rail Link (USBRL) Project undertaken by Indian Railways in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district.

The "Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) Project" included the construction of the bridge.

IIT Delhi and IIT Roorkee conducted extensive site-specific investigations to comprehend the intimidating, delicate, and complicated geological features of the mountains in the form of folds, faults, and thrusts as well as the seismic proneness of the area.

Due to space limitations, the slopes of the mountain, which support one foundation of the main span, were stabilised by building the unique hybrid foundation on the Katra end.

The main components of the bridge's construction, including the central embankment, ancillary viaduct, and main pylon with a 40-meter-deep hybrid base, were completed on the Srinagar end.

 The bridge's total length is 725.5 metres, and it will connect tunnels T2 and T3 on the Katra-Banihal Section of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link project. The Anji Khad Bridge is supported by 96 cables, with cable lengths ranging from 82 metres to 295 metres. The bridge has been designed to withstand heavy storms and strong winds, with a design wind speed of 213 kilometres per hour.