Days after its grand inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 6, the world’s highest railway-arch bridge over the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir has become an instant sensation — not only on the ground, but also in the skies.
According to a press release by the Ministry of Railways, air passengers flying over the majestic valleys of Jammu and Kashmir are now being treated to a breathtaking view of the iconic Chenab Bridge, with flight pilots making special in-flight announcements to highlight the engineering marvel.
“The Chenab Bridge draws admiration from every altitude, where pride rises from the earth and echoes through the clouds,” said Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of Information and Publicity, Railway Board. “These days, every flight over the Chenab Valley becomes a moment of national pride. The pilot’s voice echoes through the cabin: ‘Below you is the world’s tallest railway-arch bridge — the Chenab Bridge’.”
The announcement triggers excitement among passengers, who rush to the windows, capturing the view on their mobile phones and sharing the once-in-a-lifetime moment on social media. Applause, cheers, and smiles fill the cabin — a tribute to Indian engineering excellence.
On the ground, the enthusiasm is equally electric. Locals from nearby villages and mountainous regions have been flocking to vantage points to photograph and record videos of the bridge. “Many are live-streaming the scenes, while others are posting their visuals across Instagram and Facebook,” said a railway official.
Soaring 359 metres above the riverbed, the Chenab Bridge stands taller than the Eiffel Tower by 35 metres and nearly five times the height of Delhi’s Qutub Minar. Part of the ambitious Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project, the bridge spans 1,315 metres in total, with its central steel arch alone stretching 467 metres.
To withstand extreme weather and wind speeds of up to 266 km/h, the bridge was constructed using 28,000 metric tonnes of steel and supported by a first-of-its-kind cable-crane assembly system. This sophisticated mechanism featured massive cable cars and over 100-metre-tall pylons to bridge the 915-metre-wide gap across the Chenab Gorge.
“It’s a historic moment where India carved through the Himalayas to script an engineering triumph,” said Kumar. “The Chenab Bridge has become more than a project — it is a symbol of national pride and resilience.”
With both tourists and locals celebrating its completion, the bridge is not just a key infrastructure milestone but also a rising symbol of unity, achievement, and aspiration in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
