Meet Madhavi Latha, the geotechnical genius behind the world’s tallest Chenab Bridge

The world's highest railway bridge, Chenab Bridge, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (June 6) in Jammu and Kashmir.

In the majestic landscape of Jammu and Kashmir, the Chenab Bridge stands as an extraordinary feat of engineering — the world's tallest railway bridge, soaring 359 metres above the Chenab River. Behind this marvel lies the unwavering dedication of Professor Madhavi Latha, a professor from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, who has devoted over 17 years to this ambitious project.

Chenab Rail Bridge is situated at a height of 359 meters above the river. It is the world's highest railway arch bridge. The engineering of the bridge can withstand seismic and wind conditions. This marvel has a 1,315-metre-long steel arch bridge.

The bridge was built at a cost of around Rs 1,400 crore and is the highest rail and arch bridge in the world with a dock height of 359 metres from the river bed.

While addressing the people of Kashmir, he said, “Several generations in Jammu and Kashmir passed away waiting for railway connectivity. Today, the dream of lakhs of people of J&K has been fulfilled. All the good work is indeed left for me only to complete.”

The bridge will be the key connector between Jammu and Srinagar. Two Vande Bharat trains were also inaugurated on Friday (June 6) which will be moving on the bridge. The journey will take 3 hours between Katra and Srinagar, which will reduce the travel time by 2-3 hours.

Who is Madhavi Latha?

At present, she is working as a HAG professor at IISc. Dr Latha finished her B.Tech in Civil Engineering in 1992 from the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, where she secured first class with distinction.

She bagged a gold medal as an M.Tech student at the National Institute of Technology, Warangal. Her specialisation was in geotechnical engineering.

Dr Latha completed her doctorate from IIT-Madras in 2000 in geotechnical engineering. Over the years, she has received several awards. In 2021, she was given the Best Woman Geotechnical Researcher award by the Indian Geotechnical Society. She was also named in the Top 75 Women in STEAM of India in 2022.