IT News
Imphal Feb. 23
The construction of India’s tallest railway pier bridge in Manipur as part of 111 km Jiribam-Imphal railway project will be completed ahead of its scheduled target of March 2022, Chairman Railway Board VK Yadav said Saturday.
The 555-metre long bridge is one of the 148 bridges along the route which also has 47 tunnels through steep hills to connect the capital of Manipur with the broad gauge network of the country.
“We would like to complete the tallest bridge before the tunnels,” Chairman Railway Board VK Yadav told reporters at Marangching area under Noney district in Manipur. “We would like to complete (it) before March 2022 which is the outer limit.”
Yadav accompanied by General Manager Sanjive Roy of Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR) and other senior officials of the Railways and construction companies, was in Manipur on Saturday to inaugurate 2.265-km long tunnel on the Jiribam-Imphal line at the hilly terrain of Marangching village in Noney district, about 65 km west of Imphal.
The pier railway bridge near the Noney district headquarters is also one of the world’s the tallest railway bridges with a height of 141 metres. The total estimated cost of the railway bridge is Rs 280 crores.
The Railway Board Chairman said most of the tunnels in the project have been completed except the longest one. The Tupul-Imphal railway tunnel on the Jiribam-Imphal line which was taken up as national project since 2008, is one of India’s longest rail tunnels at 10.28 km.
“The tunnel is the most critical. It is going to take time because it is long tunnel. But we’re making our effort to complete the entire railway project in Manipur before December 2021,”he promised.