In a historic achievement, the Indian Railways this week finished work on the arch closure of the world's highest railway bridge, the iconic Chenab Bridge. 

The unique Arch Bridge, which rests above River Chenab, has been constructed by the Indian Railways as part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project that will link the Kashmir valley to the rest of India.

Considered an integral step in the completion of the 111km-long stretch from Katra to Banihal towns in the northern Jammu and Kashmir state, the finishing work on the steel arch is said to be one of the most difficult parts of the bridge.

A moment of pride for 🇮🇳! The arch of Chenab bridge, connecting Kashmir to Kanyakumari has been completed.

With an arch span of 467m, it is the world’s highest railway bridge.

PM @NarendraModi ji’s vision to connect India has inspired the Railway family to scale new heights pic.twitter.com/GEDEBIb9nE

On Monday (April 05), the last piece of metal of 5.6 meters was fitted at the highest point and joined the arch’s two arms that currently stretch towards each other from both the river banks.

Here are some things you should know about the iconic bridge:

THE BRIDGE IS EVEN HIGHER THAN PARIS' EIFFEL TOWER

© AFCONS

The bridge was constructed using 28,660 million tonnes of steel, with the alloy being specifically chosen to ensure that the railway project remained economical. 

Other than that, the bridge was built using 10 lakh cubic metre of earthwork, 66,000 cubic metre of concrete, and 26 kilometers of motorable roads.

The Arch of the bridge, which weighs around 10,619 million tonnes, comprises steel boxes that have been filled with concrete to improve stability. 

THIS MAKES THE BRIDGE STURDY AS HELL:

The use of steel and other components makes the bridge capable of withstanding high wind speed of up to 266 km/hour. 

It has been designed for blast load in consultation with India's premier research agency, Defence Research, and Development Organisation (DRDO).

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