Vembanad Rail Bridge

Vembanad Rail Bridge
Coordinates	10°00′22″N 76°15′29″E / 10.006°N 76.258°E / 10.006; 76.258
Carries	Rail
Crosses	Vembanad Lake
Locale	Kochi
Other name(s)	Edappally - Vallarpadam Bridge
Characteristics
Design	Beam bridge
Material	Prestressed Concrete
Total length	4.62 km
Width	5 metre
Height	7.5 metre
Number of spans	132
History
Constructed by	AFCONS Infrastructure Ltd
Construction begin	June 2007
Construction end	31 March 2010
Inaugurated	11 February 2011
Statistics
Daily traffic	15 trains *

Vembanad Rail Bridge in the state of Kerala is a rail connecting Edappally and Vallarpadam in Kochi. It is the longest railway bridge in India.^[1] The line is dedicated solely for freight.

Construction

The construction of the bridge started on June 2007 and was completed on 31 March 2010. The rail bridge is being built by Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd., a Government of India Enterprise (RVNL).

Route

The link from Edapally to Vallarpadam start from Edapally running 3 km parallel to an existing track until it reaches Vaduthala. The rail line then passes through the Vembanad Bridge through 3 small islands, including the Idyakkara and Mulavukadu islands,Vembanad Lake to reach Vallarpadam. 80% of the bridge is constructed over water.

Details

A total of 11700 tonnes of reinforced steel, 58000 tonnes of cement, 99000 cubic metre of metal aggregates, 73500 cubic metre of sand, 127000 cubic metre of concrete work and 154308 cubic metre of earth work went into this project.^[1] The bridge is constructed over pile foundations at 133 locations. The bridge comprises 231 girders, each weighing 220 tonnes. The bridge has 132 spans consisting of 33 spans of 20 m and 99 spans of 40 m which are made of PSC girders and cater to electric traction.

See also

• International Container Transshipment Terminal, Kochi
• List of longest bridges in the world
• List of longest bridges above water in India

References