The Katni Railway Grade Separator will be the longest railway viaduct in India. For those of you who may not know, a viaduct is a kind of long bridge or a series of long bridges that lets a train cross over water, roads or valleys. This railway viaduct in Madhya Pradesh which started construction in 2020, is set to complete by the next year. This viaduct will hopefully ease congestion for both freight cars and passenger trains. The construction of this railway is happening at a good speed. Officials, too, are optimistic about this project as they look forward to making travel and transport easier for all.
India’s Longest Railway Viaduct
This viaduct will be 33.7 kilometres long and is being constructed at a swift pace. So far, it has completed almost 54 per cent of the physical work. The train will ease bottlenecking for trains from the Singrauli/Bilaspur to the Bina region. It is more than three times longer than the viaduct in Kerala. The Vembanad bridge in Kerala connects the Edapally and Vallarpadam regions of the Kochi district and is close to 5 kilometres long.
The approximate cost of the Katni Grade Separator was expected to cost around ₹600 crores, according to what Surendra Yadav, who is the Chief Public Relations Officer of West Central Railway, told Times of India in 2016. The bridge will benefit both goods and passenger trains and will pass over Katni Yard to connect with the Bina line.
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Construction Happening At A Swift Pace
The contract for constructing the viaduct is given to L&T. Initially, the trains had to halt for about 2 to 4 hours and wait to receive clearance via the new Katni junction. This was owing to the traffic congestion on the railways. However, pretty soon, when the viaduct is completed, this will not be necessary. In future, the trains that do not need to halt at the Katni junction may proceed straight through the bridge.
This viaduct will consist of eight rail-over-rail bridges which will be on two existing rail routes. Apart from this, the viaduct will also have six other bridges which will be built over rivers. Two routes, Jabalpur-Katni-Manikpur and Bina-Katni-Bilaspur will intersect at Katni. The viaduct is scheduled to complete construction by 2024.
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