Watch: Indian Railways conducts historic trial run on world's tallest railway bridge in Jammu & Kashmir

On Thursday (June 20), the Indian Railways successfully performed a trial run on the world's tallest railway bridge in Jammu and Kashmir. The recently built Chenab railway bridge connects Reasi and Sangaldan in the Ramban district. Officials claimed that rail service on the route will begin soon.

The stunning mountains of Jammu and Kashmir can be seen in the background asatrain crossesthe Chenab River across the tall railway bridge.

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The new milestone was also shared on social media by Ashwini Vaishnaw, the minister of railways. "Successful trial run of MEMU train between Sangaldan - Reasi section of USBRL project. Jammu & Kashmir," he said in a post on X.

Built 359 meters (about 109 feet) above the Chenab River, the bridge is a structural wonder that is almost 35 meters higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It was constructed as part of the Udhampur Srinagar Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) Project, which is scheduled for completion by the end of the year.

On February 20, 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 48.1 kilometer long Banihal-Sangaldan section of the massive USBRL project.

Phase I of the project was launched in October 2009 and spans 118 kilometers between Qazigund and Baramulla. The 18 km Banihal-Qazigund stretch opened in June 2013, followed by the 25 km Udhampur-Katra section in July 2014.

The 1,315-meter-long Chenab Bridge is part of a larger project aimed at making the Kashmir valley accessible via the Indian Railway network.

(With inputs from agencies)