J&K gets bridge worth Rs.1,100-cr

Injecting a major booster to the rail infrastructure of the state, the Central government is building world’s highest rail bridge on the River Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir at an investment of Rs.1,100 crore, said official sources, claiming that it would be taller than the Eiffel Tower with height of 35 meters. The massive arch-shaped structure to be constructed at a cost of around Rs.1,100 crore in hostile terrain will use over 24,000 tons of steel and will rise 359 m above the river bed. Designed to withstand wind speeds of up to 260 km per hour, the 1.315 km-long "engineering marvel" will connect Bakkal (Katra) and Kauri (Srinagar). It would form a crucial link in the 111 km stretch between Katra and Banihal, which is part of the Udhampur- Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project.