Monumental Chenab Rail Bridge: Great Pride but Some Missed Opportunities Too?
Introduction
Indian Railways will dedicate its pride project of connecting Jammu with Srinagar by a very difficult rail link on 6th June 2025. PM Narendra Modi will show the green flag to the first passenger train service between the two stations through a Vande Bharat Express. The proposed schedules for the trains between Jammu and Srinagar is given in the time-table below. These are conservative times for the initial months that could be shortened to about 4 hrs of running time later. It is worth remembering that the maximum challenges laid in the construction of the Bridge over river Chenab was completed successfully and the trial run of the train over this bridge was conducted on 13 Aug 2022. It was a monumental project having Herculean tasks that many past Union or the State Govts couldn’t even dare to start.
This section of Indian Railway will connect Jammu with Kashmir valley for the first time which is presently connected only by mountain roads that are vulnerable to blockages, mud-slides and some other adversities. In addition it will also cut-down the journey time from 8-10 hrs of the road journey to less than 5 hrs by rail. Goods transporting trucks often take much longer duration. Transporting POL even becomes more critical. With the rail link established, goods supplies will be facilitated both to and from Srinagar. This link could fulfil the dreams of the visionaries of India like Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Bajpayee who had dreamt of Kashmir to Kanyakumari as one continuum. This project was initially sanctioned in 1997 by Narsimha Rao Govt but works with real purpose started only in 2015. This long distance train presently starting from Jammu could be extended to Srinagar. It is a dream-come-true for all Indians.
Indian Pride of ‘Skywalk’ Experience
Journey in the above section of Indian rail will have some breathtakingly scenic routes and spots passing through the dizzy heights of the Himalayan mountains. Although there are numerous many scenic spots the world over, the Chenab Bridge surpasses all…the “Higher than Eiffel Tower” Skyway that may be called आकाशपथ / नभपथ or गगनपथ over the Chenab river flowing underneath. It could become once in a lifetime experience for the fortunate world tourists viewing and experiencing the nature in its purest of the forms from those heights where surely butterflies could be felt fluttering in the stomach. It could be an eternal experience for some.
Any tourist to northern Europe makes it a point to visit the Eiffel Tower in France and climb over to its first or/and second floors 377 feet above the ground to view a large stretch of Paris city. Most if not all of them feel thrilled. There are lifts to carry them up and down although some prefer to climb through the staircase too. The Eiffel Tower receives a daily average footfall of ~15000 visitors for their limited viewership from the 1st or/and 2nd floors. Imagine the number of footfalls at the Chenab Rail Bridge Skywalk at ‘higher than the tip of Eifel Tower’, 1200 ft above the river bed, in totally open and breathtakingly scenic natural beauty of Himalaya on a stretch of over 1.3 Km and the Chenab river flowing underneath. This is bound to be a very unique experience of lifetime.
Think of climbing even higher than the tip of the Eiffel Tower here in India and walking at those dizzy heights, over a very large stretch of 1.3 kilometre in the bare view of nature, with high velocity whistling cool winds lacing you, with the scenic beauty of the snow-covered Himalayan peaks all around. This is what the Indian Railway could offer to the world tourists at its Katra-Banihal stretch of the track over the Chenab river bridge. This bridge is hanging in free air at 1178 feet above the Chenab river bed, having over 1.3 kilometre stretch of length with walking spaces on either side of the track. Undoubtedly, it could become an another Wonder of the World for which some other nations have also been trying for their varied structures but none have been accorded the status as yet. Surely, it could be a lifetime experience for anyone and everyone experiencing it.
The Marvel of Chenab Rail bridge
Putting Specialised Expertise in Planning. M/S Afcons Infrastructure Ltd, an Indian Company along with South Korea's Ultra Engineering have designed and built the Chenab Bridge with unprecedented scientific considerations of safety. Modi Govt stressed upon the need for an independent professional & academic institution when Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore provided inputs on foundation protection, DRDO on blast protection, M/s Leonhart, Andra & Partners (Germany) on arch and M/S WSP (Finland) on Viaduct & Foundation design. Proof design was validated by M/S URS & M/S COWI, UK. Inputs on slope stabilities were rendered by M/S ITASCA (USA) and IIT Delhi. Stability against seismic tremors were rendered by IIT Roorkee & Delhi. However, overall in-charge was M/S Afcons Infra. Numerous many variables have been catered in the design phase such as unstable Himalayas, vulnerability to Seismic activities, high winds, flooding river underneath, loose soils of the mountains, extremes of temperatures, heavy loading of trains often creating resonance, possible light subversive acts by terrorists etc etc.
Incorporating Factors of Safety. All bridges have a weight carrying limit with a safety factor that usually ranges from 1.7 to 2. That means if the rail bridge is designed to carry a loaded train of 10,000 tons, with the safety factor, it can actually withstand 17,000 to 20,000 tons of weight without any problem. Hence, even if the ‘tourist load bearing’ has not been factored in the design, the bridge could still cater for the significant numbers of tourists. In order to doubly reassure the safety of the design, several standards incl Indian national standards have been supplemented with International standards such as British Standard (BS), International Union of Construction (UIC) Standard as well as the Euro Standard.
Missed Opportunity of Integrating with Tourism ?
The author is not sure if the Ministry of Railways has catered for the ‘Skyway’ tourism over the Chenab bridge. It appears they have not. Since the trains playing over it doesn’t have stoppage over the bridge (and there should not be one), it could be linked by a “tourist special” local trains from Vaishnow Devi and Qazigund stations, terminated/parked Salal-A or Salal-B on the either sides of the bridge. There could be a special ticket counter for entering the Skyway foot-path from the either sides, for a limited duration. Provisions / facilities for sightseeing from the heights of Chenab Bridge will be a ‘Dream Tour’ for numerous many tourists. From the parking place for the ‘tourist special Trains’ the tourists can walk to the Skyway entry gates on the either sides of the Bridge. There could be provisions of some sitting/resting benches for the needy.
Access to the Bridge from Chenab River Bed. Ministry of Roads in consultation with Railways must plan to extend a road-head close to the ‘Skyway Bridge’ through Ramban or Dugga towns beneath. Adequacy of motor-car parking place must be created with allied facilities. A light lift could be provided to carry these tourists from the roadhead or riverbed to the Skywalk platform.
Tourism/Hospitality sectors must construct hill-compliant residential complexes and hotels with the best of facilities, with all amenities both at the road-heads beneath as well as in the vicinities of Salal A & B parking of the ‘Tourist Special Trains’.
Adventure Sports. Ministry of Youth and Sports could creating infrastructures and facilities for adventure sports of Mountain Trekking, Mountain Climbing, Bungee Jumping etc? Paragliding with additional safety factors against wind-drifts and river-landing could be very tempting for the enthusiasts. Record height of this bridge will make it unique and the best adventure spot in the world. This bridge could have an immense scope of tourist facilities at the spot as well as in its vicinities. It could be turned in to a major revenue generator much higher than any other tourist spots in the world.
Tourist Facilities. Various types of facilities and attractions for the “Sky walk” could be created. It goes without saying that this venture has great potential to bring India to the world map of tourism, creating another ‘Wonder of the World’ and above all a much sought-after destination of global tourism. Ministry of Railways, Tourism, Hospitality, Adventure Sports, Youth Affairs and so on, could jointly exploit this potential that will also provide jobs to thousands and earn huge revenue for the State/Union.
Means of Emergency Evacuation
This Jammu-Srinagar Rail link has immense potential for serving both Civil and Defense sectors as a means of mass evacuation, rushing humanitarian support as well as transporting additional troops, provisions and combat vehicles. It was unfortunate that the Govt of India as well as the Union Territory of J&K did not requisition the Ministry of Railways to evacuate the stranded tourists following Pahelgam massacre. It is believed that the track was ready for emergency operations. Jammu Kashmir faces such situations rather often when national highway gets blocked and even Srinagar airfield becomes non-operational following heavy snow fall. It is possible that even this rail track may get temporarily blocked but the maintenance senction must keep the requisite tools ready to remove the blockages to the track and start using it for rapid evacuation / transportation.
The Bottom-Lines
PM Narendra Modi has fulfilled the dreams of visionaries of India like past PMs Narsimha Rao and Atal Bihari Bajpayee in connecting Kashmir valley with the rest of India through a rail link. In the process, the Ministry of Railways has also created a monumental structure of the highest rail bridge in the world over Chenab river. This unique and highest bridge called “Skyway” surrounded all around with ‘nature in its purest forms’ could be a much sought after tourist destination for the world. Ministry of Tourism with all allied facility must exploit it to the fullest that may become another ‘Wonder of the world”. This could place India much higher on tourism map and also become a revenue generating marvel, providing numerous jobs for the entrepreneurs in tourism, hospitality and allied sectors.