J&K (Metro Rail News): Indian Railways made history on June 20 by successfully conducting a trial run on the Chenab Bridge, which is the world’s highest rail bridge located in Jammu and Kashmir. The successful trial run of the 8-coach MEMU train marks the opening of rail service on the corridor connecting Reasi to Baramulla in Kashmir.
“After an extensive inspection of the newly constructed Chenab Bridge by senior officers from Railway Board, Northern Railway and Konkan Railway, a trial run was conducted on a 46-km-long electrified line section between Sangaldan in Ramban district and Reasi at a speed of 40 kmph,” stated Ministry of Railways.
The 8-coach MEMU train began its journey at 12:35 pm from Sangaldan and it reached Reasi at 2:05 pm. During its journey, the train traversed a route that included nine tunnels spanning a total length of 40.787 kilometres. The longest among these tunnels is T-44, which measures 11.13 kilometres in length.
According to the Ministry, it was the first complete train to cross the Chenab bridge which falls between Dugga and Bakkal stations over the Chenab River, and it is also the world’s highest arch railway bridge.
For the first time, Indian Railways employed ROCS (Rigid Overhead Conductor System) technology at 25 kV to carry out the electrification work on this section.
Upon the arrival of the Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) train at Reasi railway station, a chorus of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ erupted among the crowd. The MEMU train was carrying railway officials and the employees engaged in the project
Reflecting on the past 20 years, Raj Kumar Sharma, former sarpanch, highlighted the difficulties Railways encountered from the outset of the project. Expressing his optimism, he said, “The train service from Reasi to Kashmir could begin by the end of this month,” as reported by The Hindu.
