Top 10 Longest Railway Bridges in India
The government of India is focusing on developing its infrastructure for several decades. To improve its connectivity, the government has sanctioned and created several types of structures like dams, bridges, flyovers, tunnels, expressways, elevated freeways, cloverleaf, and others. Bridges helped to connected different villages across water bodies in the past.
Later, these bridges became a way to make travel more efficient. The first railway bridge in India was Balawali Bridge was constructed in India in 1888. Since then, several bridges were built across India. With advanced technology, the distance covered by these bridges got longer. Read More 20 Different Types of Trains in India.
Here we mentioned the country’s ten longest railway bridges are:
1. Bogibeel Railroad Bridge
Length: 4.94 km
Location: Over Brahmaputra river, Assam
This bridge connects the Dhemaji district with the Dibrugarh district. It took more than 200 months to be built due to the heavy rainfall in this region. Since it is located in an earthquake-prone area, the entire bridge is completely welded with steel and concrete support beam. This is the first bridge in the country that can withstand an earthquake of 7 or higher (Richter scale). This is the continent’s second-longest railway bridge and the fifth-longest bridge in India (including road bridges, railway bridges, and railway-cum-road bridges).
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2. Vembanad Bridge
Length: 4.62 km
Location: Over backwaters of Vembanad Lake, Kerala
This bridge connects Edappally with Allarpadam. Constructed in 2010, this bridge is made with pre-stressed concrete and around 80% of this bridge is over water. This bridge is used only by freight trains. It serves more than 15 trains per day. The bridge goes over Vembanad backwaters and three islands.
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3. Nehru Setu Rail Bridge
Length: 3.059 km
Location: Over Son River, Bihar
This bridge is also called Upper Son Bridge and it connects Son Nagar with Dehri-on-Son. This bridge was one of the oldest bridges of the country and was inaugurated in 1900 by the British administration. This bridge has 93 stone pillars and has been open for traffic since its inauguration. This bridge was built with stone and steel in a primitive style architecture, which is robust to have withstood traffic and weather, until today.
4. Havelock Bridge and Godavari Arch Bridge
Length: 2.7 km
Location: Over Godavari River, Andhra Pradesh
The Havelock Bridge is a de-commissioned bridge, which runs over the Godavari River. This is one of the fast-running rivers of the country. This bridge is also called as Havelock Bridge. Now, this bridge is used mainly for civic water pipelines. Parallel to it, a new bridge was constructed for railway purposes, in the same length. The new bridge is called the Godavari arch bridge.
5. Mahanadi Rail Bridge
Length: 2.1 km
Location: Over Mahanadi river, Orissa
There are two Mahanadhi Rail Bridges. The first one is located in Bhootmundei. This is one of the ancient bridges, which was built at the end of the 19th century. However, it is not one of the longest rail bridges in the country. This list is taking the second Mahanadi Rail Bridge into consideration. This is the longest bridge in Orissa and accommodates high-speed trains too. This second bridge was constructed in 2008 and was specifically designed to withstand trains running at 160 km per hour.
6. Pamban Bridge
Length: 2.065 km
Location: Across Palk Strait water body, Rameshwaram
This bridge connects Rameshwaram with mainland India. This bridge was built in 1914, and it is the first Indian bridge over the sea and was the longest one until 2010. The bridge has a bascule midsection, which can be raised to let ships go by. This bridge is the only transportation option to reach Rameshwaram. There are plans to construct a new railway bridge closer to Pamban with dual train tracks, automotive mode, and other facilities.
7. Sharavathi Bridge
Length: 2.060 km
Location: Over SharavathiRiver, Karnataka
Sharavathi Bridge is a part and the longest bridge of the famous Konkan Railway route. This bridge route is famous for its aesthetically pleasing sceneries. This is the longest bridge in the state with 55 spans. This bridge has won a national award in 1995 for its outstanding architecture.
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8. Zuari Bridge
Length: 1.319 km
Location: Over Zuari River, Goa
This is the famous bridge that connects North and South Goa. This bridge is also a part of the famous Konkan rail route. This is the longest bridge in the union territory and it serves numerous trains of different types, every day. This bridge was completed in just three years.
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9. Balawali Railway Bridge and the New Railway Bridge
Length: 840 m
Location: Over River Ganges, Uttar Pradesh
This bridge belongs to the 19th century. It was built by the British and it costs a little less than 28 lakhs, during that century. This bridge was built using iron rails. With the new bridge (parallel to Balawalirailway bridge) that also runs for 840m, the Balawali bridge is now used for road transportation and the new bridge is used for railways. However, the Balawali Railway Bridge is always an iconic landmark of the state.
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10. Howrah Bridge
Length: 705 m
Location: Over Hooghly River, W. Bengal
The official name of this bridge is Rabindra Setu. However, most of the population know it as the famous Howrah Bridge. This was the first bridge (road bridge) in India. The Pontoon bridge was constructed in 1855 and then it was replaced with Howrah Bridge. However, this list is all about railway bridges. The Howrah railway bridge was constructed much later in 1943. The most interesting part about this bridge is that you cannot find one nut or bolt in this construction. The entire bridge is built with welding pieces of steel into to hold two rods together.
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Apart from these, there are numerous bridges in the country, which are architectural marvels. If you wish to explore India for a unique angle, train travel is the best way to start with. Do you want to experience that awe-factor inside a train and throughout your vacation? You can try spending your vacation with the Palace on Wheels or other luxury trains in the country.
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Read More: Why Choose Palace on Wheels as a Luxury Train?
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