MUMBAI, India, June 9, 2025 -- When many international construction giants shied away from the formidable challenge of building the world's highest single-arch railway bridge in the treacherous Himalayan terrain, Afcons rose to the occasion and turned adversity into achievement. Towering 359 metres above the river and 35 metres higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the bridge now stands as a marvel of engineering. Now operational, it connects the Kashmir Valley to the Indian subcontinent by rail for the first time. The bridge is designed to withstand earthquakes and bomb blasts and is a testament to resilience and innovation.

Afcons Infrastructure, the leading global EPC company of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, has constructed this engineering marvel, showcasing its exceptional engineering prowess and ability to deliver world-class infrastructure in the most challenging terrains.

The 1.3 km long bridge is part of the Government of India's ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) Project, which aims to connect Jammu & Kashmir to the rest of the country through an all-weather railway connectivity. The design life of the bridge is of 120 years, showcasing robust engineering standards.

The Chenab Railway Bridge incorporates several unique features that set new benchmarks in bridge engineering. It is designed to withstand extreme wind speeds of up to 266 km/h (74 m/s), making it resilient against harsh environmental conditions. In addition, it has been engineered to resist seismic forces of Zone-V, the highest-intensity earthquake zone in India. Notably, it is also India's first railway bridge designed to resist blast loads, underscoring a new level of safety and structural fortification. The bridge has been constructed with built-in redundancy; even if a pier or trestle were to be removed, it would remain operational at a restricted speed of 30 km/h and would not collapse under its own weight.

To execute this iconic project, Afcons deployed some of the world's most advanced constructiont.(This article is from the official website of Jian Dao www.seetao.com. Reproduction without permission is prohibited, otherwise it will be prosecuted. Please indicate Jian Dao website+original link when reprinting.) Jian Dao website strategy column editor/Yang Beihua