One of the striking features of the Chenab bridge in Jammu and Kashmir, reportedly the highest arch-railway bridge in the world, is that the structure would stand even if one of the eight supporting piers is taken way, and still be strong enough to keep the train on it moving, albeit at a slower speed. The credit for conceptualising the design that allows this stability goes to G. Madhavi Lata, Professor of Civil Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.
For nearly two decades, she has been a consultant for AFCONS Infrastructure, the engineering firm that had executed the construction of the bridge. Standing 359 metres above the river Chenab, it is as high as four Qutb Minars stacked on top of each other.
Due to the height and the terrain, the parabolic arch – the strongest load-bearing structure — which supports the railway bridge, could be assailed by winds that can touch 220 kmph and because it spans Himalayan mountains, has to contend with the strongest earthquakes, Dr. Lata told The Hindu. “So the challenge is in ensuring that the foundations of the bridge, which rest on the slopes of these connecting mountains, are extremely strong,” she explained.
These mountains often have unexpected cracks and fissures and strengthening them requires cement grouting – applying cement in these fissures to have them function like glue. This was Dr. Lata’s first stint at designing a bridge in the Himalayas. “I joined the IISc in 2003, as an Assistant Professor, and since 2005 have been associated with this project. Along with this, you also must provide rock anchors which are steel rods inserted into the slope. While these are standard civil engineering techniques, the real challenge lies in having to constantly change your basic design [of the bridge, foundations, piers] as when you realise that the slopes are full of surprises. The design has to be kept flexible till you reach the final stage. To me that was the biggest challenge,” she added.
This is also the only arch-shaped railway bridge in India and there are only a few comparable constructions in the world, in China for instance, she added.
The Chenab bridge spans 1,315 metres and has an arch-span of 467 metres. The bridge is one of the 927 bridges in the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project.
Published – June 06, 2025 10:27 pm IST
