Afcons Infrastructure completes single-arch railway bridge in India’s Himalayas

Afcons Infrastructure, a division of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, has completed the construction of the Chenab Railway Bridge, a single-arch railway bridge in the Himalayan terrain of India.

The bridge is claimed to be the world’s highest single-arch railway bridge, according to the company.

It connects the Kashmir Valley to the Indian subcontinent by rail for the first time and is designed to endure earthquakes and bomb blasts.

The bridge, part of India’s Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) Project, has a design life of 120 years.

It spans 1.3km and incorporates features to withstand extreme wind speeds of up to 266km/h and seismic forces, reflecting the highest engineering standards, according to the company.

Afcons executive vice chairman Krishnamurthy Subramanian said: “The Chenab Railway Bridge is more than just a marvel of engineering. It is a symbol of India’s resolve to conquer the most formidable challenges with ingenuity and courage.”

The bridge’s design includes built-in redundancy, ensuring it remains operational even in the event of damage to a pier or trestle, with a restricted speed of 30km/h without collapsing under its own weight.

To construct the Chenab Railway Bridge, Afcons utilised advanced construction technologies and equipment, including the world’s largest-capacity crossbar cable cranes.

The project introduced several engineering firsts for Indian Railways, such as the use of Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT) for weld inspection and the establishment of an onsite NABL-accredited testing laboratory.

Additionally, it marked the first implementation of the incremental launching of a deck structure on combined circular and transition curves.

Afcons managing director S Paramasivan said: “For Afcons, it represents our unwavering commitment to nation-building and our ability to reimagine infrastructure in the toughest terrains.

“This bridge will inspire generations of engineers and stands as a tribute to the power of Indian engineering and teamwork.”