In a historic moment for India’s infrastructure growth, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday opened the world’s tallest railway bridge, built across the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir. The bridge is one of the major highlights of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, which now successfully connects Kashmir to the rest of the nation through rail.
Standing tall at 359 metres over the riverbed and 35 metres above the Eiffel Tower, the Chenab arch bridge is a marvel of engineering and national unity. Constructed as part of the Rs. 43,780 crore USBRL project, the bridge is supported by 943 other bridges and 36 tunnels covering 119 km, providing all-weather rail linkages to the Kashmir valley.
Upon reaching the Air Force base in Udhampur, PM Modi headed to the site of the Chenab bridge to officially open the engineering wonder.
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Prime Minister @narendramodi inaugurates the Chenab Bridge – the world’s highest railway arch bridge and visits Bridge Deck in Jammu and Kashmir#ChenabBridge
Watch: ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/zlBqbKLPSW
— PIB India (@PIB_India) June 6, 2025
This was his first visit to the area since Operation Sindoor, India’s military reaction to the April Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 individuals.
On the occasion of his visit, the Prime Minister witnessed an exhibition on the USBRL project and met engineers, workers, and project officials handling its implementation. The Prime Minister was accompanied by major political leaders like Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Union Minister Jitendra Singh.
Talking about the revolutionary character of the rail link, Modi asserted the project will ‘transform mobility, bring prosperity and enhance the quality of life for the people of Kashmir’.
PM Modi to Inaugurate Anji Bridge
Apart from the Chenab bridge, PM Modi will also inaugurate India’s first cable-stayed Anji bridge, another major element in the regional connectivity infrastructure. He will also flag off two Vande Bharat Express trains between Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Srinagar and, thus, commission the entire 272-km USBRL corridor.
Extending to road and traffic development, the Prime Minister will unveil a range of projects to facilitate transportation in border areas. These are the Rafiabad-Kupwara widening on NH-701, Shopian bypass on NH-444, and new flyovers at Sangrama and Bemina junctions in Srinagar.
With the completion of such projects, the government imagines a new era of national unity and regional development in addition to an enhanced people’s access in Jammu and Kashmir.
