The Indian Army is on the verge of inaugurating the highest railway bridge in the world, located in the remote and contentious region of Kashmir, following a 15-year construction phase.
This infrastructure upgrade is the latest in a series of developments aimed at bolstering defense capabilities and integrating the region with the rest of the country.
Spanning the Chenab River, the Chenab Rail Bridge stands at a towering height of 359 meters, which is 29 meters taller than Paris’ Eiffel Tower.
Indian Ministry of Railways expects the bridge to be operational by the end of December or January 2024, with the government asserting that it will contribute to Kashmir’s prosperity.
The Indian military also anticipates significant strategic advantages from this project.
The bridge is poised to provide all-weather access to the Ladakh region, situated near the sensitive Chinese border, and to Kashmir, an area that has been a longstanding source of hostility between India and Pakistan, both of which lay claim to the territory.
DS Hooda, former Indian Army northern commander, projects that the bridge will “truly change the game” regarding military capacity, local trade, and tourism. Besides enabling the army to swiftly move troops and equipment, it will also facilitate the transportation of Kashmiri goods, particularly apples, as the train’s capacity far exceeds that of trucks.
“The train can carry 50 times what a truck would carry,” Hooda said.
Former army logistics Chief Major General Amrit Pal highlighted the time-saving benefits of the bridge.
“For convoys traveling from Jammu to Srinagar, the journey currently takes 12 hours, and for logistic convoys, it takes 16 hours,” he stated. “With the bridge, that journey will be reduced to three hours.”
Pal further emphasized, “Ultimately, logistics is all about ensuring the right people reach the right place at the correct time.”
However, despite the bridge’s potential economic advantages, there are concerns among some Kashmiris about the ongoing efforts to further integrate the predominantly Muslim territory into India’s national fabric, as reported by Indian Defense News.
