Progress on the Chenab Bridge and the rest Kashmir Rail Link

[jis]

Installation of the arch crown for the lower segment of the arch of the Chenab Arch Bridge, the tallest rail bridge in the world that is under construction for the Kashmir Rail Link, took place on March 14th, 2021.

(Sorry for the commentary in Hindi but the pictures are pretty self explanatory)



The crown for the upper segment is expected to be in place by 31 March.

 

[Ziv]

Impressive, but I wish the camera had panned out at the end to remind you of just how high this bridge is. It is way the heck up there.
The Chenab Bridge is 359 meters, 1178' above the riverbed and 322 meters or 1056' high above the river surface. It is hard to find a direct comparison of the numbers for the two bridges but I think that the New River Bridge is pretty impressive at a "mere" 267 meters above the river surface or 867' high so the Chenab Bridge is amazing.
I can't even imagine what it will be like to peer out the window of your railcar and look down, and down, and down...

 

[jis]

Here you go...



The bridge deck apparently will have space for double track, though initially only a single track will be installed. The track will be electrified soon after it is installed since this entire route is slated to be a 25kV 50Hz electrified route, through Srinagar, all the way to Baramulla close to the Indian and Pak Kashmir LOC up north. The survey for electrification has been completed for the entire route, and electrification has been completed upto Katra from the South.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Here you go...



The bridge deck apparently will have space for double track, though initially only a single track will be installed. The track will be electrified soon after it is installed since this entire route is slated to be a 25kV 50Hz electrified route, through Srinagar, all the way to Baramulla close to the Indian and Pak Kashmir LOC up north. The survey for electrification has been completed for the entire route, and electrification has been completed upto Katra from the South.

How is India going to Generate all the "extra" juice needed to expand the routes?

Hopefully not with Coal!!

 

[jis]

How is India going to Generate all the "extra" juice needed to expand the routes?

Hopefully not with Coal!!

Initially there will be quite a bit of coal in enormous Thermal plants with huge scrubbers - but that does not do anything about the CO2. There is some prototyping going on with Carbon sequestration at the exhaust, but nothing that can be immediately deployed AFAIK. This will still be important since the huge Thermal Plants are not going to get decommissioned anytime soon.

There is a significant Nuclear component, which is what will eventually account for the base load. India has in production Breeder Reactors to reprocess spent fuel to generate new fuel.

IR has a large Solar program where they are installing solar panels on all their property over time, but it will take a while for Battery technology to come upto par to provide reliable base load handling from that. The transition of power source is a thirty year plan in the minimum.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Initially there will be quite a bit of coal in enormous Thermal plants with huge scrubbers - but that does not do anything about the CO2. There is some prototyping going on with Carbon capture at the exhaust, but nothing that can be immediately deployed AFAIK.

There is a significant Nuclear component, which is what will account for the base load. India has in production Breeder Reactors to reprocess spent fuel to generate new fuel.

IR has a large Solar program where they are installing solar panels on all their property over time, but it will take a while for Battery technology to come upto par to provide reliable base load handling from that. The transition of power source is a thirty year plan in the minimum.

Glad to know they have a plan, unlike the USA who dithers as the World dies!

Coal kills! There is no such thing as " Clean Coal"!!!!

 

[jis]

Glad to know they have a plan, unlike the USA who dithers as the World dies!

Coal kills! There is no such thing as " Clean Coal"!!!!

The alternative to Coal at present is Oil which needs to be imported from the Middle East, so it adds to the carbon load not only by itself getting burned but also in the exceedingly long supply route.

India is blessed with abundant supply of Coal and very little Oil, so it is what it is as they say. Oil costs foreign exchange to import which takes away from other better things to import.

The Railways have been electrified aggressively to reduce dependence on oil. The other thing that India has abundant supply of is Thorium, which drives the Nuclear power angle in the whole picture. Notwithstanding that Coal is simply not going away anytime soon. All that one can hope for is cleaning it up as much as possible.

 

[Bob Dylan]

The alternative to Coal at present is Oil which needs to be imported from the Middle East, so it adds to the carbon load not only by itself getting burned but also in the exceedingly long supply route.

India is blessed with abundant supply of Coal and very little Oil, so it is what it is as they say. Oil costs foreign exchange to import which takes away from other better things to import.

The Railways have been electrified aggressively to reduce dependence on oil. The other thing that India has abundant supply of is Thorium, which drives the Nuclear power angle in the whole picture. Notwithstanding that Coal is simply not going away anytime soon. All that one can hope for is cleaning it up as much as possible.

Thanks for the info, I understand but hope we dont go back to Coal like so many Republicans want us too!

 

[railiner]

Very impressive. But so is this one, especially considering it was built almost a century earlier....

Royal Gorge Bridge - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[jis]

Very impressive. But so is this one, especially considering it was built almost a century earlier....

Royal Gorge Bridge - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Fortunately that one does not have to worry about 8.0 earthquakes and unstable rock formation in a range that is rising several mm a year in a very active and young fault zone though.

 

[caravanman]

I gather that the push behind construction of this line is to facilitate military movements up to the border area? I am thinking that the new bridge looks a very tempting target if the worst happens...

I did visit Canon City some time ago, we tend to see what we expect to see, and I was confused for some hours about why the US had a Royal George bridge!
I missed seeing that bridge, but had an interesting drive up the Phantom Canyon trail, a former rail bed, to the old mining towns of Victor and Cripple Creek.

 

[Ziv]

CaravanMan, I am no expert on this, but I think that though military transport is one driver, so to speak, perhaps larger is attempting to reduce transportation costs in a rather remote area that has ties pulling it politically in a couple different directions. Pakistan and India have disputed the "ownership" of this region for some time.
If India can make the people living in the region a bit more comfortable by increasing their standard of living, everyone comes out ahead. And if India can get more tourists to Srinagar, Shalimar Bagh, Gulmarg, etc., it will help them get a lot closer to doing so. Here is hoping that the locals end up as big winners in this!

I gather that the push behind construction of this line is to facilitate military movements up to the border area? I am thinking that the new bridge looks a very tempting target if the worst happens...

I did visit Canon City some time ago, we tend to see what we expect to see, and I was confused for some hours about why the US had a Royal George bridge!
I missed seeing that bridge, but had an interesting drive up the Phantom Canyon trail, a former rail bed, to the old mining towns of Victor and Cripple Creek.

 

[caravanman]

Sadly in the areas that you mention, Ziv, the locals are very polarised in their views. I hope that the railway will bring prosperity and some increased measure of peace to the region. UK tourists are currently advised not to visit the region because of potential unrest.

 

[jis]

A little more than one year on the bridge is now getting close to completion...

 

[caravanman]

It looks rather different to the drawing in post #5, have they forgotten the supporting towers and cables?

 

[west point]

It looks rather different to the drawing in post #5, have they forgotten the supporting towers and cables?

It would appear that the arch is self-supporting. no guy wires or towers needed! Certainly were a lot of guy wires during construction of the arch.

 

[jis]

MODERATOR'S NOTE: A number of posts about the future Manali - Leh rail link that is planned and the current road that it will roughly follow, have been moved to its own thread. Please post about that link in the new thread and reserve this thread for the JUSBRL (Jammu - Udhampur- Srinagar- Baramula Rail Link and the world's highest bridge under construction on it.

Thank you for your understanding, cooperation and participation.

 

[George Harris]

It looks rather different to the drawing in post #5, have they forgotten the supporting towers and cables?

The supporting towers and cables are only for construction to hold the two sides in position until the final connecting segment is set into position. At that point all the load is transferred to the arch and these temporary supports cease to be needed and can be removed.

This is an awesome structure. That it is probably being built for two tracks only makes sense. The width needed for lateral stiffness is probably more than sufficient for that. Notice how the arch gets wider toward the bottom. That is part of the lateral stiffness. Note also the foundations. There is tremendous horizontal force in line with the arch at the bottom of the arch, so that the sideways strength of the foundation, in line with the arch, is as important as the vertical load bearing ability.

 

[caravanman]

The supporting towers and cables are only for construction to hold the two sides in position until the final connecting segment is set into position. At that point all the load is transferred to the arch and these temporary supports cease to be needed and can be removed.

This is an awesome structure. That it is probably being built for two tracks only makes sense. The width needed for lateral stiffness is probably more than sufficient for that. Notice how the arch gets wider toward the bottom. That is part of the lateral stiffness. Note also the foundations. There is tremendous horizontal force in line with the arch at the bottom of the arch, so that the sideways strength of the foundation, in line with the arch, is as important as the vertical load bearing ability.

I appreciate your expertise, and take my hat off to you...
Unfortunately, the original "artists impression" picture in post #5 that I was referring to, which was posted by Jis, has since been removed by Jis, so the context and meaning of my post about the towers and wires is now redundant.

 

[jis]

I appreciate your expertise, and take my hat off to you...
Unfortunately, the original "artists impression" picture in post #5 that I was referring to, which was posted by Jis, has since been removed by Jis, so the context and meaning of my post about the towers and wires is now redundant.

That was a different bridge, not the Chenab Steel Arch Bridge. It was the Anji Khad single pillar Cable Stayed Box Girder bridge. Here is what it will look like when completed:

Here is the Wikipedia article on it.

Anji Khad Bridge - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

A recent article about it:

Another Engineering marvel: Railways making India’s first-ever cable-stayed rail bridge - NewsOnAIR -

Adding yet another feather in its cap, the Indian Railways is constructing India’s first-ever cable-stayed rail bridge situated over Anji river (Anji Khad Bridge) in the Reasi district of Jammu & Kashmir. The engineering marvel ‘Anji Khad bridge’ is a part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail...

newsonair.com

Incidentally the bridge deck for this bridge as well as the Chenab Bridge is 15m wide, about 3m more than necessary for a standard IR double track roadbed.

 

[caravanman]

 

[jis]

MODERATOR'S NOTE: The excellent discussion about the Royal Gorge bridge has been moved to its own thread at:

Royal Gorge Bridge

I did visit Canon City some time ago, we tend to see what we expect to see, and I was confused for some hours about why the US had a Royal George bridge! :D It is indeed a wonder...the original "bridge to nowhere"...🤣 BTW...some trivia....the Royal Gorge Bridge is one of only three privately...

www.amtraktrains.com

Please continue that discussion in that thread and reserve this thread for discussing the Himalayan route in Kashmir.

Thank you for your understanding, cooperation and participation.

 

[jis]

Chenab Bridge construction has been completed several months back. For now a single track has been installed and some test runs carried out using track inspection trolleys. It awaits the completion of the Anji Khad cable stayed box girder bridge to be completed before a full size train can reach it for testing. Menahile the Kavach Automatic Train Control system is getting installed.

Here are some spectacular photos of the completed brideg....

Chenab Bridge: Indian Railways shares stunning pictures of the world's highest rail bridge, check here

Chenab Bridge: The world's highest rail bridge achieved a milestone when the overarch deck of the bridge was completed with a golden joint in August.

www.dnaindia.com

And here is the recent status of the Anji Khad Bridge mentioned above:

Anji Khad bridge: Indian Railways' 1st cable-stayed bridge is stunning - watch video - Times of India

India Business News: Anji Khad bridge latest update: Indian Railways is looking to soon complete the construction of its first cable-stayed railway bridge as a part of the

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

 

[Gemuser]

JIS: Why is it called an asymmetrical bridge? It seem to have an equal number of cables on each side of the central pillar? Admittedly I was not able to count the cables in these images but they looked equal.

 

[Ziv]

Incidentally the bridge deck for this bridge as well as the Chenab Bridge is 15m wide, about 3m more than necessary for a standard IR double track roadbed.

Outstanding! They left space for a bicycle path!

;-)