New Delhi: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw called the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project a “remarkable feat of engineering” as he highlighted its key features following the flagging off of the Katra-Srinagar Vande Bharat Express by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In a post on X, Vaishnaw said the project includes India’s longest transportation tunnel, T-50, which stretches 12.77 km between Khari and Sumber. He added that the rail line also features the second-longest tunnel in the country, T-80 or the Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel, measuring 11.22 km between Banihal and Qazigund.
The third-longest tunnel, T-44, runs 11.13 km between Sawalkote and Sangaldan. According to the minister, the USBRL project involves 36 main tunnels with a total length of 119.6 km and 8 escape tunnels adding up to 66.4 km.
One of the most impressive achievements of the project is the Chenab Bridge, the world’s highest railway arch bridge. It stands 359 metres high, 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower, and measures 1.3 km in length. Its construction required over 600 km of steel welding, which is more than the entire length of the railway track from Jammu to Delhi.
Vaishnaw also showcased Anji Bridge, India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge. This bridge is 725.5 metres long and balanced on a single central pylon that rises 193 metres from its foundation. All 96 stay cables used in the bridge were installed within just 11 months, with a total length of 653 km, longer than the distance from Jammu to Delhi.
He said advanced techniques like the Himalayan Tunneling Method were used to overcome the tough and seismic terrain of the region. Another important feature he mentioned was the fitting of ‘ice cutters’ in Vande Bharat trains to ensure uninterrupted train movement by clearing snow from the tracks.
