India Opens World’s Tallest Rail Bridge in Strategic Kashmir Move

India has launched the world’s tallest rail bridge in the Himalayas, connecting Kashmir to its national network and reinforcing its strategic and economic influence across the volatile region. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

The Chenab Rail Bridge now stands as the tallest railway bridge on Earth at 1,178 feet, surpassing the Eiffel Tower and anchoring the 200-mile Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link.

Don’t miss…Drone Strikes Disrupt Russian Rail Freight Nationwide

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the project, calling it a historic unification of Kashmir with the rest of India. He emphasized national pride, citing the symbolic phrase “from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.”

Constructed using 28,000 tons of steel and 66,000 cubic meters of concrete, the bridge was engineered to endure earthquakes, high winds, and heavy snowfall typical of the region’s harsh climate.

India strengthens transport and military edge in Kashmir

This new rail line drastically reduces military deployment time to the Pakistan border from days to just hours. The region remains tense following recent violence that India attributes to cross-border insurgency.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah applauded the milestone, noting it fulfilled dreams once impossible under colonial rule. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha called the date of inauguration “a moment that will go down in history.”

The project also complements India’s broader goals of asserting control over Kashmir, where China and Pakistan both challenge its territorial claims. All three nations possess nuclear weapons.

India boosts access to economy and tourism in Kashmir

Kashmir’s tourism and agriculture industries now gain year-round rail access, improving trade and investment opportunities. Ski resorts, apple orchards, and tech hubs benefit from faster connections to markets.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw credited Modi’s leadership, stating that such a project reaffirms India’s infrastructure capabilities at the highest altitudes.

While India faces ongoing disputes with China in the region, the Chenab Bridge sends a message of engineering strength and geopolitical resolve—especially as China invests heavily in the $60B China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Source: www.newsweek.com

News on railway transport, industry, and railway technologies from Railway Supply that you might have missed: