Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday inspected the bridge over the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir which is expected to be operational for rail traffic by the end of this year.
In a video shared by the news agency ANI, the union minister was seen sitting on a trolley while people on the platform waved flags.
"Today is an important day as the trolley run was done on Chenab bridge and several tunnels are being inspected as well. Before 2014, Rs 700-800 crores were allocated for such projects but today Rs 6,000 crore has been allocated for this project. I expect trains will start running on these tracks by Dec-Jan," the Union Railways Minister told ANI.
Previously, Vaishnaw said that all the tests on Chenab Railway Bridge have been conducted and were successful. According to ANI, the tests were conducted to check the stability and safety of the world's highest bridge which included wind test, extreme temperature test, earthquake-prone test and tests on hydrological impacts due to water level increase.
The bridge has passed all the mandatory tests. However, the Chenab railway bridge is near completion at present as the incumbent regime laid a special focus on the project worth Rs 1400 crore.
The union minister also performed bhumi pujan at the site where the first trail run of track-mounted vehicles on Chenab Bridge will be conducted in Reasi.
As per officials, Railway Bridge is ready for commissioning, officials said and added that track lane work has been started over the bridge.
According to Hindustan Times, the Union Minister of Railways said that two more tests are to be conducted on Sunday, which include running a motor trolley and bolero customised rail operation on the bridge.
The much-awaited world's highest railway bridge spans the Chenab River at a height of 359 metres (1,178 ft) above the riverbed, which is 35 metres taller than Paris' Eiffel Tower.
The arch bridge forms a crucial link from Katra to Banihal, it is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL), a dream project worth Rs 35000 crore.
According to ANI, over the last 3 years, engineers were building the arch with the help of two mammoth cable cranes installed on the banks of Chenab – the Kauri end and the Bakkal end.
The base of the steel and concrete arch bridge, 42 kilometres from Reasi town, was completed in November 2017, allowing for the start of the construction of the main arch which was done in April 2021.