Lessons From Building The World's Highest Rail Bridge - New Civil Engineer

2/11/22, 3:20 PM Lessons from building the world’s highest rail bridge | New Civil Engineer
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Lessons from building the world’s highest rail bridge
05 AUG, 2021 BY DAVID MACKENZIE
Large-scale construction can be challenging in the best of circumstances. Structures like the Sydney
Harbour Bridge and the Eiffel Tower have gone down in history as record breaking feats of architectural
and logistical complexity.
The Chenab Bridge, linking Jammu and Kashmir in rural India, is almost as long as the Harbour
Bridge, taller than the Eiffel Tower, and vastly more remote and hostile in surroundings.
https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/lessons-from-building-the-worlds-highest-rail-bridge-05-08-2021/ 1/8
In literature and oration, the Himalayas are an oft-used metaphor for

something that is insurmountable, challenging, uncompromising. From
the inception of the Chenab Bridge – located in the Himalayan foothills
and part of a 111km railway network being built by India’s Konkan
Railways from Katra to Banihal – it was clear that success would lie in the
project team’s approach to the mythic surroundings.
David MacKenzie is executive director at Cowi
In order to successfully build the highest arch bridge in the world in one
of its most challenging regions, they would have to walk a fine line
between matching the strength and grandeur of the region, and humbly acknowledging and
addressing the frailties of human construction in the face of nature’s unpredictability – most notably,
the massive geological drifts for which this part of the Himalayas is renowned.
Cowi has a long history of working as an independent consultant on some of the world’s greatest
infrastructure challenges – from bridges and railways, to solar and windfarms, to sustainable urban
development. Yet this project – arguably the most challenging civil engineering railway project in
India’s history – has presented, and continues to present, multiple interesting nuances and
opportunities for problem solving.
Landslides were a constant risk. Steel elements needed to be pieced together seamlessly, so the quality
of workmanship and on-site fabrication had to be of the highest standards.
The bridge is also located near an area of India where there are disputed territories, with relations
fluctuating over the years as the project played out. Not to mention the transportation challenges, with
everything including labour, tools and steel needing to be imported to a remote, previously
inaccessible location.
Only once you visit the site, as I have been lucky to do so many times in my role as Cowi's leader on
the project, does the enormity of this task strike you. It was always a complex and tiring journey –
flying to Delhi, then to Jammu, then sitting in the back of a four-wheel drive for four hours to finally
arrive at base camp. It is difficult to fathom the energy, manpower and logistics involved to transport
over 28,000 metric tonnes of steel there.
The on-site geotechnical engineers and geologists need to understand the natural landscape like the
backs of their hands; working with it in some ways, bending it to their will in others. Roads were cut
into the slopes of precarious mountain rock to improve access. A special overhead gantry crane was
built to transport equipment from one side of the site to the other for efficiency.
For over a decade, Cowi has worked closely with Konkan Railways, cross-checking their plans and
construction processes to ensure compliance with global building standards, improve efficiency and
smooth out any issues.
The final product must be resilient in the face of high winds, earthquakes, temperature extremes and
landslides. In such a challenging region, with so many variables against it, the fate of the bridge is fully
dependent on the determination and flexibility of the project team and workforce involved.
It was with great awe, admiration and pride that, in April this year, I watched from a video link in my
house in the UK as the monolithic steel arch of one of the most unlikely bridges you could imagine
was officially completed.
The atmosphere was exalted, befitting its surrounds. Here, in the middle of the mountains, in a
country not known for its steel bridges, a record breaking structure had been created, all due to the
professionalism and problem solving ability of a dedicated team led by the untiring efforts of the chief
engineer, R.K. Singh.
Beyond the many individual feats of engineering involved, both big and small, the construction
process itself has had several wider positive impacts on local communities. The improvement of the
transportation network to get to the remote site has allowed associated industries to grow, creating
opportunities for trade, supporting the influx of new technology and improving the quality of
education and healthcare for local communities.
But the work is not yet over. The flickering lights of hillside village encampments remain on, and the
arch remains un-decked – a single arched eyebrow, curiously awaiting completion.
Another year lies ahead of us before we can join Mr Singh and sign our names to the Chenab Bridge –
point to it and tell our kids and grandkids, “I helped build that”.
But, from the beginning, the creation of a monument like the Chenab Bridge has in many ways been a
self-fulfilling prophecy; far from being deterred, all involved have steadfastly committed over a decade
of work for the anticipated pride of completion.
At Cowi, we are thrilled to learn time and again that, with sufficient creativity, dedication and
attention to detail, humans can achieve some pretty impressive things.
Rather than a triumph over nature, the Chenab Bridge is a triumph of the ingenuity of man with
nature – as a source of inspiration, juxtaposition and foundation. This unique union has resulted in an
awe-inspiring structure that will be marvelled at for decades to come.
David MacKenzie is executive director at Cowi
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2/11/22, 3:20 PM Lessons from building the world’s highest rail bridge | New Civil Engineer

Lessons from building the world’s highest rail bridge

05 AUG, 2021 BY DAVID MACKENZIE

In literature and oration, the Himalayas are an oft-used metaphor for

awe-inspiring structure that will be marvelled at for decades to come.

David MacKenzie is executive director at Cowi

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