J-K: Speed trial conducted on Katra-Banihal railway section of Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramula Rail Link

Reasi (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], January 8 (ANI): A satisfactory speed trial was conducted on the Katra-Banihal railway section of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramula Rail Link (USBRL) during the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) inspection on Wednesday.

Commissioner of Railway Safety, Dinesh Chand Deshwal completed a speed trial run from Katra to Banihal on the Katra-Banihal railway section of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramula Rail Link (USBRL).

He said, "The dust was arising because construction work is going on since long time. The technical aspects were as per requirement during the trial. The speed trial run was satisfactory. Based on the data from this trial run, we will soon decide to run the train. Today, the train was run at 110 kmph in most segments of the route. From Katra to Banihal there were steep rising grades. In most of the places, speed has been 110 kmph."
The Indian Railways, which is on the path of development, is now moving towards showcasing one more classic example of an engineering marvel with the newly built Anji Rail Bridge.
The country's first cable-stayed rail bridge is constructed in the Reasi district of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir under the most challenging Udampur-Srinagar-Baramulla-Rail Link (USBRL) Project of Indian Railways. The bridge is about 80 km by road from Jammu.
Anji Khad Bridge is the country's "first cable-stayed bridge" of Indian Railways connecting Katra and Reasi in Jammu and Kashmir. The bridge is a part of the national project of the Udhampur-Srinagar- Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) Project.
The bridge is located in the young fold mountains of the Himalayas, having extremely complex, fragile and daunting geological features in the form of faults, folds and thrusts, and besides, the seismic proneness of the region. Detailed site-specific investigations were carried out by IIT, Roorkee and IIT, Delhi.
Slopes of the mountain supporting one foundation of the main span have been stabilised by a special hybrid foundation on the Katra end due to space constraints. The major portion of the bridge works, including the main pylon with a 40 m deep hybrid foundation, the central embankment, and the ancillary viaduct, were carried out on the Srinagar end.
Speaking to ANI about the technical details of the bridge, the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the USBRL project, Sandeep Gupta, said, "The total length of the bridge is 725.5 m. This bridge has a single main pylon of height 193 m from the top of the foundation, standing at a height of 331 meters above the riverbed. Considering the ease of construction and typical site conditions, the bridge has been divided into 4 parts. We have built a 120 m long approach viaduct called the "ancillary viaduct" on the Reasi side and a 38 m long approach bridge on the Katra end (CA2)."
"The main bridge, crossing the deep valley, is a 473.25 m cable-stayed portion. The central embankment, which is 94.25 m, is located between the main bridge and an approach ancillary viaduct," Gupta added.
The Katra-Banihal section is a vital link in the USBRL project, bridging the gap between the Jammu region and the Kashmir Valley. Known for its complex topography and engineering marvels, the section features the Chenab Bridge, the world's highest railway bridge, along with several state-of-the-art tunnels and cutting-edge safety features.
With the successful trial run, Indian Railways moved closer to its goal of providing seamless train connectivity to the Kashmir Valley, facilitating easier movement for passengers and goods, and contributing to the region's growth and integration with the national mainstream. (ANI)