The Chenab Rail Bridge crosses a deep river gorge in Reasi district as part of the Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link, commonly abbreviated USBRL. Its steel arch supports a railway deck far above the Chenab. The bridge is a working part of a transport system rather than merely a scenic viewpoint, and its relationship with adjoining tunnels and track explains its regional significance.[1]

An arch over a gorge

Official project descriptions place the railway crossing approximately 359 metres above the river and identify it as the world's highest railway arch bridge. The height describes the separation between the railway and the river below, not the bridge's elevation above sea level. Keeping those two measurements separate avoids a common misunderstanding of the record.[1]

An arch carries loads through its curved form toward its supports. At the Chenab site, the challenge is to span a gorge while maintaining the alignment required by a railway. The deck and the arch perform related but different structural roles; the visually dominant arch alone does not explain the complete track-supporting system.

A completed link

The bridge was inaugurated on 6 June 2025 alongside the Anji bridge and the completed regional rail link. Construction photographs from earlier years document stages of assembly and should be captioned accordingly. A picture of an unfinished arch is valuable historical evidence, but it cannot be presented as a current view of the operational bridge.[2]

Project completion, commissioning and an individual train journey also concern different events. A timetable can change while the bridge remains part of the route. Likewise, a public direction link to a geographical marker does not authorise entry to railway property or indicate a visitor parking area. The crossing should be observed only from permitted locations.

Compare Anji Khad Bridge, which uses cable-stayed engineering rather than the Chenab's main arch form. The stations at Katra and Banihal place both crossings within the passenger network. Shiv Khori provides another Reasi subject with a very different function. Regional connections are useful for understanding the district without implying that its attractions share a single access route.

Photograph and map record

Photograph: Ojhayogesh via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0. Recorded capture date: 2017-01-13 12:40:41. Resized and converted to WebP; scene content unchanged. This is a dated view, not confirmation of the site’s present appearance.

Map marker: 33.15083, 74.88306. Secondary bridge-location record; not a public entrance or permission to enter railway property. View location on OpenStreetMap · View Google Maps · Google directions · OpenStreetMap directions.

Research checked: 14 October 2026. For a visit, confirm current access, transport and opening information with the relevant authorities. This encyclopedia profile provides geographical and historical context.