Chenab railway bridge: While India lays tracks in Kashmir, Pakistan cancels development projects
India builds while Pakistan borrows
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Engineering the future: The Chenab Bridge
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Vande Bharat: Trains of the future
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Chenab Bridge on Friday, marking a landmark moment for Indian infrastructure. Standing 359 metres above the Chenab River, the bridge is now the highest railway arch bridge in the world. It is expected to soon carry the high-speed Vande Bharat trains between Katra and Srinagar — a first for the Kashmir Valley.In a video shared on Instagram, the Prime Minister gave a brief glimpse of the newly completed structure, calling it 'a step towards Naya Kashmir.' The inauguration is seen as a major step in India's long-term effort to transform connectivity and development in Jammu and Kashmir, a region historically shaped by conflict and geographic isolation.The timing of the inauguration is significant. As India opens a strategic railway line through the tough Himalayan terrain, neighbouring Pakistan faces a very different reality — one marked by loan dependency, budget cuts, and a growing economic crisis.Earlier this year, Pakistan secured an $800 million loan from the Asian Development Bank . This followed a $1 billion tranche from the International Monetary Fund, part of a broader $7 billion bailout programme. India has publicly opposed both, arguing the funds could be diverted to support terrorism rather than their intended development use.At the same time, Pakistan has raised its defence budget by 18% to ₹2.5 trillion, citing increased tensions with India. According to India Today, the Pakistani government plans to cancel 118 development projects worth ₹1,000 billion (PKR), given that its total development allocation for the current fiscal year is only ₹880 billion (PKR).Indian officials have also pointed to Pakistan's falling tax-to-GDP ratio — from 13% in 2018 to just 9.2% in 2023 — as an indicator of growing economic risk and weak revenue mobilisation.The Chenab Bridge is a central part of the 272-kilometre-long Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Railway Line (USBRL), a major infrastructure project estimated to cost ₹44,000 crore. The line includes 36 tunnels and 943 bridges and is designed to fully integrate Jammu and Kashmir with the Indian rail network.This particular bridge lies between the Kauri and Bakkal sections of the USBRL. It connects remote areas and offers year-round rail access to the Kashmir Valley — a significant shift for both civilian travel and military logistics.Modi also inaugurated the Anji Bridge , India's first cable-stayed railway bridge, from which the broader USBRL project was launched.The Chenab Bridge is not just symbolic — it is a feat of modern engineering. Built using 28,000 tonnes of steel and 66,000 cubic metres of concrete, the bridge is designed to endure the extremes of its mountain environment.Its construction employed 'Tekla Technology', a digital design platform that allowed for high precision in both design and execution. The structure can withstand winds of up to 260 km/h, survive earthquakes up to magnitude 8, and is blast-resistant. Engineers estimate its operational lifespan to be around 120 years.In addition to the bridge, Prime Minister Modi is also launching two Vande Bharat trains — currently India's fastest. These trains can reach speeds of up to 180 km/h and operate at an average of 130 km/h. By contrast, Pakistan's fastest train tops out at 105 km/h.The addition of these trains to the newly completed rail corridor underscores India's focus on high-speed, high-impact infrastructure — a vision that stands in sharp contrast to the financial and development setbacks being reported across the border.
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