Top European firms to be consultants for J&K project

Two top firms known for designing railway bridges, KORTES from Germany and LAP from Finland, are providing consultancy to Konkan Railways of India for constructing the world's tallest railway bridge in Jammu & Kashmir.

Popularly known as the Kashmir rail project, worth over Rs 3,000 crore, there will be more tunnels and bridges on this Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar rail track than on the Kalka-Shimla section of the Northern Railways.

The bridge, known as an "engineering wonder", will come up at height of 359 metres above the bed of the river Chenab and will cost around Rs 600 crore.

It is expected to be ready in two years and is located at village Kauri in the Arnas area of district Reasi.

Konkan Railways Deputy Chief Engineer (Projects) Ishwar Chand said two top European firms, having enormous expertise in construction work in the mountainous region, namely LAP and KORTES from Finland and Germany, have been engaged for design consultancy and the Chenab bridge in Kashmir is going to surpass the previous record of the Mailo road bridge in France.

Apart from these firms, Konkan Railways is seeking consultancy and opinion from Scott Wilson Kirk Patrick & Co. and Flint and Neil, London.

"Another remarkable thing about this project is that an estimated 25,000 tonnes of C-grade steel is being used, which can withstand the freezing temperature of minus twenty degree Celsius to avoid any cracks by way of contraction. This bridge falls in the highly sensitive seismic zone and will have a length of 1,315 metres. The company has sought geotechnical consultancy from NIRM of Kolar and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. The climatic consultancy has been sought from the FORCE Technology of Denmark," he added.

Konkan Railways has been allotted the contract for the mountainous track of nearly 119 km.

A longest tunnel in the Pir Panjal ranges at Banihal is also being constructed by the HCC on this rail track. Being constructed on the most difficult track of 71 km of the Katra-Dharam section, the estimated cost of the whole section by the Konkan has been worked out at over Rs 8,000 crore.

What is significant about this topographically intricate terrain is that unlike other sections, this small section of Northern Railways would have 50 bridges and 32 tunnels on it and only seven stations.