New Delhi, February 21 The world's highest railway bridge over the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir faced turbulent times around 2008, when the Railway Board asked the construction company, Afcons Infrastructure Limited, to exit the project if it wished. However, the company decided to stay put despite apparent financial losses.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the Vande Bharat Express train between Katra and Srinagar on June 6, 2025, while inaugurating the Katra-Srinagar section on which lies the historic and iconic Chenab Arch Bridge.
The Chenab rail bridge towers 359 metres above the riverbed and rises 35 metres higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Spanning 1,315 metres, this steel-arch structure is a key part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) and marks a significant milestone in Indian engineering.
The Katra-Srinagar section is a part of the 272-km USBRL, a significant portion of which, along with the Chenab Arch Bridge, was completed by Afcons.
Afcons' Executive Chairman Krishnamurthy Subramanian, while revisiting the over-20-year Chenab journey – from signing the contract with the Railway Board in 2004 until its launch in 2025 – said the project faced one of its most uncertain times when a legal challenge put it on hold and forced the board to explore an alternative route, possibly a tunnel instead of an arch bridge.
"The Railway Board suspended the project for more than 90 days and the contract permitted me to walk out of the project. In fact, the member (engineering) called and told me, 'This is your chance to walk out if you choose to'. I did not make an instant decision," Subramanian told
