PAF Project

DETAILED PROJECT REPORT

JUSBRL Project- Making Possible the Impossible

Business and Management Section

Background:
Jammu and Kashmir strategically situated close to the north-western borders of India has
traditionally enjoyed limited surface accessibility to rest of the country notwithstanding
connectivity by air that mitigates the situation only partially. The road link through National
Highway No 1A apart from being long, tortuous and difficult becomes particularly unreliable
during inclement weather in winter and summer months. Apart from its security and socio-
economic implication, this state of affairs has also had an impact on other aspects of life in
the state, more particularly the Kashmir valley.
To provide better transportation facilities, construction of Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-
Baramulla Rail Line (JUSBRL) project was undertaken by the Ministry of Indian Railways in
2003 to connect J&K with the rest of India. The project includes a 345km long Railway Line
joining the Kashmir Valley with the Indian Railways network. It includes construction of
several bridges and tunnels along the route, of which Chenab Bridge is one. It will span
across the deep Chenab river and provide access to the Kashmir valley from Udhampur. The
Project has been declared as a Project of National Importance in March 2002.
Made with steel and concrete, the Chenab bridge is an example of overcoming all hurdles.
The construction of the bridge began in the year 2004 and is the only part of the project that
remains unfinished. It is expected to be completed in 2019.

Objective

The objectives of the project are to:

Strengthen the transportation network to the Kashmir valley by providing an

efficient all-weather transportation channel that could function in adverse weather
conditions and reduce the travel time to various destinations in the valley
considerably and
Bring about socio-economic development of the State of Jammu & Kashmir

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Status of the Project:

The Jammu-Udhampur-Katra-Quazigund-Baramulla Railway line is the biggest project in the
construction of a mountain railway since independence. From Jammu to Baramulla, length
of new rail line is 345 km. It passes through the young Himalayas, tectonic thrusts and faults.
The work on Jammu-Udhampur section (53 Km) has been completed and opened to
public by Honble Prime Minister in Apr05.
The section from Anantnag to Rajwansher (66 KM) was opened to the public by the
Honble Prime Minister on 11/10/08.
The section from Rajwansher to Baramulla (35 KM) was inaugurated and dedicated
to the nation by the Honble Chairperson of UPA Smt. Sonia Gandhi on 14/02/09.
The section from Quazigund to Anantnag (18 km) was opened to the public by the
Honble Prime Minister on 28/10/09

The work is in various stages of progress in the balance length from Udhampur to
Quazigund.

Many Firsts

1.First large- 1.First Use of

1.Deepest Drill
1.The Longest scale use of Road header
1.Highest Over- holes for
Transport New Austrian for Tunnel
burden of Geotechnical
Tunnel in the Tunnelling Excavation in
1100m Investigations
Country (11km) Method Railway
640m
(NATM) in India Tunnelling

Technical Specifications of Project:

Deck height (height above river): 359 m (1,178 ft)

Bridge length: 1,315 m (4,314 ft), including the 650 m (2,130 ft) long via duct on the
northern side
Arch span: 467 m (1,532 ft)
Arch length: 480 m (1,570 ft)

This makes the Chenab Bridge the world's highest railway bridge and the bridge with the
widest span in the Indian broad-gauge railway network. The entire 292 km line from
Udhampur to Baramulla was declared by the Prime Minister in 2002 as a Project of National

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Importance and is one of the most challenging projects ever undertaken by the Indian
Railways considering the extremely difficult terrain, weather conditions and the sensitive
security situation prevailing in parts of the area.

Scope of Work

The length from Udhampur to Baramulla is 292 km and has been divided into three sections,
details of which are as under:

Item Udhampur - Katra- Qazigund -

Katra Qazigund Baramulla
Route length (km) 25 129* 119
Bridges 38 62 811
Tunnels Length (km) 10.90 103.00 0
Max height of bridge (m) 85 359 22
Longest tunnel (km) 3.15 10.96 -
stations 3 10+1 15
*As per revised alignment

Important Features of the Project

This project has various special & unique features and several firsts in Indian Railways.

Item Udhampur-Katra Katra-Quazigund Quazigund-

Baramulla
Max Curvature 2.75o 2.75o 2.75o
Max. height of Bridge 85 m 359 m 22 m
Longest span 154m Steel Girder 467 m Steel Arch 45 m
over river Jhajjar over river Chenab
Longest tunnel 3.15 km. 10.96 km -
Max Depth of Cutting 20 m 40 m 12 m

The railway line passes through Himalayas which are prone to earthquakes
Blast load taken into consideration for bridge since the area is prone to terrorist
attacks
Air security provided for the bridge
Includes the Pir Panjal Tunnel, a work of Pioneering nature being the longest
transport tunnel in India with 11km length

Location of the Project

The railway line is perhaps the most difficult new railway line project undertaken on the
Indian subcontinent.

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The terrain passes through the young Himalayas which are full of geological surprises and
numerous problems.

The alignment for the line presents one of the greatest railway engineering challenges ever
faced, with the only contest coming from the Qingzang Railway in Tibet that was completed
in 2006 and crosses permanently frozen ground and climbs to more than 5,000 m (16,000 ft)
above sea level. While the temperatures of the railway area are not as severe as in Tibet, it
does still experience extreme winters with heavy snowfalls. However, what makes the route
even more complex is the requirement to pass through the Himalayan foothills and the
mighty Pir Panjal range, with most peaks exceeding 15,000 ft (4,600 m) in height.

Estimated Cost of project

The total cost of the project is Rs 19,564 Crore which includes a budget of INR 5.12bn
($92m) for the railway arch bridge that stretches between Bakkal and Kauri in the Reasi
district of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), India.

The estimated cost of the project in 1994- 95, when administrative approval was given was
Rs.1500 crore. When the detailed project report was prepared in 1999-2000, the cost
estimate doubled to Rs.3077 crore. By 2006-07, the estimated cost rose three-fold to
Rs.9341 crore and by 2010 the estimate, sanction for which was accorded in 2012, had
escalated to Rs.19564 crore.

The Railway Administration is however, still uncertain about the final cost of the project.

Socio-economic impact of the project

The completion of this project will provide an all-weather and reliable connectivity
to the J&K State through rest of the country by the railway network also provide
connectivity by rail to far flung areas of J&K.
Construction of Access Roads Total about 262 kms of approach roads to work sites
are to be constructed. Out of which, 160 kms already constructed. With completion
of approach roads, more than 73 villages will get connected, which will provide road
connectivity to about 1,47,000 people, 29 villages already connected.
Employment generation Direct employment to the local people (about 7000) and
indirect employment to thousands for day to day requirement of the project
personnel. This will help to mitigate militancy.
Permanent job in Railways to one of the family members, whose more than 75% of
land has been acquired. Job given to 343 persons so far.

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Project Management

The project is being implemented by three principal agencies:

Northern Railway Construction Organisation (NRCO)

Konkan Railway Organisation (KRCL) and
Ircon International Limited (IRCON), each responsible for distinct segments of the
USBRL rail link.

The NRCO is responsible for coordinating the progress of the work by the other two
agencies and reporting to the Railway Board. The Railway Board was responsible for
technical guidance on selection of alignment and financial issues, besides co-ordination of
overall progress.

Contractors involved

Amberg Engineering was appointed to carry out review work of the alignments.
Design and construction of the bridge was awarded to a joint venture of Afcons
Infrastructure, Ultra Construction & Engineering Company of South Korea and VSL
India in 2004.
Finland-based WSP Group and Germany-based Leonhardt Andra and Partners are
the consultants for the project.

Financial Management

As the project is being funded by the Government of India on strategic grounds, the Cabinet
Committee on Infrastructure is responsible for according administrative approvals of project
estimates. The Ministry of Finance is responsible for providing finances.

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References

http://usbrl.org/aboutus.php

http://cag.gov.in/sites/default/files/audit_report_files/Union_Performance_Rail_Links_Kas
hmir_Union_Government_Railways_19_2012_Chapter_1.pdf

http://usbrl.org/aboutus.php

Appendix 1 - IRCON INTERNATIONAL

1.A Financial highlights for FY 2016-17 to FY 2007-08

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1.B Board of Directors of IRCON International

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1.C IRCON International: On-going major projects in India