NDTV Ground Report: Key Facts About World's Tallest Rail Bridge In India

The world will see an engineering marvel in India on Friday when Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the world's tallest railway bridge over the River Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir. Vande Bharat trains to be flagged off by the prime minister on Friday will run between Katra and Srinagar in the Union Territory.

NDTV went near the bridge to take a look at India's latest engineering achievement. The bridge is 359 metres tall - five times the height of Qutub Minar in Delhi and some 35 metres taller than Eiffel Tower in Paris.

The steel arc bridge is 1,315 metres long and it has been engineered to withstand seismic conditions and strong winds over 260 kmph.

At least 28,000 tonnes of steel were used to build the bridge. The engineers also used six lakh bolts, and 17 spans.

Costing over Rs 14,000 crore, nations have been looking closely and discussing its design and technical features.

Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee approved the bridge's construction in 2003. It has since taken 22 years to complete the structure.

A Prime Minister's Office (PMO) statement said PM Modi will launch multiple development projects worth over Rs 46,000 crore at Katra, the home to the Mata Vaishno Devi temple.

"A key impact of the bridge will be in enhancing connectivity between Jammu and Srinagar. Through Vande Bharat trains moving on the bridge, it will take just about three hours to travel between Katra and Srinagar, reducing existing travel time by two-three hours," the PMO said.

The Anji Bridge, which will also be inaugurated by PM Modi, is India's first cable-stayed rail bridge that will serve the nation in a challenging terrain.

The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between Kashmir valley and the rest of the country, aiming to transform regional mobility and socio-economic integration.

The bridge is expected to boost tourism in the picturesque region, travel agents said. The Union Tourism Ministry will organise programmes in collaboration with the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department and FICCI to draw crowds.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Kashmir is an important initiative to strengthen the confidence of the common people. The world's highest Chenab railway bridge will be a new hotspot of tourism in Jammu and Kashmir," Travel Agent Association of India's managing committee member Rajan Sehgal told NDTV.

The FICCI along with the central government and the Union Territory will hold a big tourism conclave at the Tourism Complex in Srinagar on June 27 and 28 June, he said.