UDHAMPUR-SRINAGAR-BARAMULLA
RAIL LINK - GEOGRAPHY
News: India’s ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla
rail link to likely open
What's in the news?
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The Indian Railways is all set to commence train
services on the Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan section, a crucial 48.1 km
stretch of the ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link project.
Key takeaways:
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It will mark a significant step toward realising
the dream of connecting Srinagar with
Kanyakumari.
Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla
Rail Link (USBRL) Project:
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The USBRL Project involves the construction of a railway line from Udhampur to Baramulla
joining the Kashmir valley with the Indian Railways network.
Aim:
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To connect Kashmir to the rest of the country and
give a push to development in the Valley.
Total Length - 272 km
Key Features:
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The Project was declared as a “National Project” in 2002.
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The alignment of USBRL involves construction of a
large number of tunnels and bridges in highly rugged and mountainous terrain
with the most difficult and complex Himalayan geology.
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This project involves 38 tunnels (combined length of 119 km), the longest tunnel (T-49)
having a length of 12.75 km and is the country's longest transportation tunnel.
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There are 927
bridges (combined length of 13 km).
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These bridges include the iconic Chenab Bridge (Overall length 1315 m, Arch span of 467 m and
height of 359 m above Chenab river bed) which will be the highest railway
bridge in the world.
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Indian railway's first cable-stayed bridge is also being constructed on
Anji Khad.
Go back to basics:
Anji Khad Bridge:
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It is an under-construction railway bridge in the
Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.
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It will be the first cable-stayed railway bridge in
India.
Features:
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It is an asymmetrical
cable-stayed bridge balanced on the axis of a central pylon, and it has
tunnels on both ends.
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The cable-stayed portion of the Anji bridge is
472.25 metres, while the total length of the bridge is 725.5 metres, which is
divided into four parts, including an embankment.
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The central span of the bridge is 290 metres; its
total deck width will be 15 metres.
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It stands at the height of 331 metres above the
Anji river bed.
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Trains can run up to 100km/h, and the bridge can
withstand wind speeds up to 213 km/hr.