Raipur: The Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) has played a pivotal role in the construction of the world’s tallest railway bridge over the Chenab River in Jammu & Kashmir, supplying a total of 16,000 tonnes of steel — with its Bhilai Steel Plant alone contributing 12,000 tonnes to the project.
A senior official from the Bhilai plant confirmed the figure on Friday, hailing it as a proud moment for the Indian steel industry and a major milestone in nation-building. The Chenab Railway Bridge, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 6, 2025, is now the highest railway arch bridge on the planet, rising 359 metres above the riverbed — even taller than the Eiffel Tower.
The bridge is part of the strategically crucial Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project and aims to bring seamless all-weather connectivity to Kashmir, significantly improving both civilian and military mobility.
SAIL’s contribution to the bridge included a wide range of steel products such as TMT bars, heavy plates, structural steel, and hot strip mill products. From the total volume supplied, the Bhilai Steel Plant alone provided 5,922 tonnes of TMT bars, 6,454 tonnes of steel plates, and 56 tonnes of structural steel. The remaining steel was delivered by SAIL’s IISCO, Durgapur, Rourkela, and Bokaro plants.
Officials said that the construction of this 1.3 kilometre long bridge involved the use of approximately 29,000 metric tonnes of fabricated steel, over 10 lakh cubic metres of earthwork, 66,000 cubic metres of concrete, and a vast network of 84 kilometres of cable anchors and rock bolts. Engineered to endure wind speeds of up to 266 kmph and strong earthquakes, the bridge is being seen not just as an engineering feat, but a strategic lifeline to India’s northern frontier.