ANJI KHAD
India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge
The Anji Khad Bridge is the first cable-stayed rail bridge to be designed and built in India: a unique, iconic, and highly ambitious structure engineered to significantly elevate asset reliability standards and enhance regional and international transport links across the Himalayan region.
In 2016, FS Engineering was awarded the contract for the design and construction supervision of the Anji Khad cable-stayed rail bridge, which spans the Anji River gorge in the state of Jammu & Kashmir. The structure, which extends for a total length of 725 metres and has a maximum clearance height of approximately 196 metres, is situated on the Katra–Banihal section of the Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL)—one of the most strategically vital and complex infrastructure corridors in north-western India, running along the Kashmiri slopes toward the border.
FS Engineering proposed and developed an innovative, highly distinctive structural solution: an asymmetrical cable-stayed bridge measuring 473 metres in length, featuring a 290-metre main span supported by a single 193-metre-high pylon anchored on the more accessible side of the gorge. This strategic layout concentrated the majority of the construction footprint at a single abutment end, significantly optimizing the construction program within a highly challenging topographical environment. The design methodology was driven by rigorous slope stability assessments and site footprint constraints, successfully balancing structural integrity, safety, and buildability.
The scheme represents an unprecedented engineering feat given the site's extreme environmental and geological constraints. The Anji River flows through a deep, near-vertical ravine subject to severe aerodynamic forces and exceptionally harsh weather conditions. The adopted engineering solution reflects a sophisticated understanding of heavy rail functional requirements, localized geotechnical parameters, and wind-loading dynamics.
The primary structural works were completed in February 2024, and the bridge was officially commissioned and opened to traffic on 6 June 2025.
Awards: The Anji Khad Bridge project was honoured with the Award of Merit (Bridge/Tunnel category) at the ENR Global Best Projects 2024. This prestigious accolade, determined by an international panel evaluating over 120 submissions, recognises the project’s exceptional innovation, engineering excellence, and asset value on a global stage. The ENR Global Best Projects Awards, hosted annually by Engineering News-Record, celebrate the world’s most outstanding infrastructure schemes based on safety, innovation, and sustainability.
Client: Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL), a public sector undertaking managing the Konkan railway infrastructure.
