Bridging the Himalayas with an Engineering Marvel
Business Director
Doka India & SAARC
Located between the states of Jammu
and Kashmir in the foothills of the Himalayas, the Katra-Qazigund section of
the Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway link has a history going back to
1994. Having been initially approved for construction and with several years of
work invested into its numerous bridges and tunnels, progress slowed as
engineers faced increasing challenges from both adverse geology and poor
accessibility. Amongst the project’s greatest challenges came from finding an
engineering solution to connect the Katra and Reasi section of the line, which
is separated by a naturally occurring ravine of approximately 330 metres in
depth. In addition, once completed, the structure would need to withstand a
variety of severe weather including torrential rain, snow, ice, and high winds,
capable of reaching speeds in excess of 100 kilometres per hour.
Named the Anjikhad Railway Bridge,
Doka India proposed an effective and efficient formwork solution for the
cable-stayed, single-pylon to work with the site’s complex geology. This meant
constructing the pylon in a vertical slope using micropyles of forty metres in
depth around the circumference of a twenty-metre well foundation. HCC selected
Doka as their formwork partner to manage and response to the demands and
challenges for such a prestigious project. To achieve the construction of the
pylon itself, Doka relied on its Automatic Climbing Formwork SKE50, which
provided excellent protection for site teams, while safeguarding them from the
adverse weather and thanks to the guided lifting system, no deviation from the
construction schedule was required. Supporting the climbing system, the project
used Large Area Formwork Top50 extensively, thanks to its high degree of
flexibility which meant a lot of it could be pre-assembled, while also
remaining on the platforms during climbing, reducing the reliance on cranes,
resulting in the project becoming crane-independent after the first step.
Speaking on behalf of HCC, the project-in-charge, Mr. Ajay Kumar Pashine stated, “It was wonderful working with Doka team during the installation of SKE 50 Auto Climbing System and Pylon formwork Top 50 systems at Anji Khad Cable stayed bridge project Jammu & Kashmir. We are happy with service and technical support provided by the Doka team, for implementation of system to ensure smooth operations. By the installation of the system the concrete time cycle was reduced and according to our planning’s we have achieved our progress.”
Speaking on behalf of Doka India, senior formwork instructor, Mr. A.N
Singh commented, “The success of the project so far has been achieved through a
combination of technology and engineering excellence. In finding an optimal way
to deliver such a complicated structure in such an inhospitable environment, we
are proud to say we’ve delivered India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge.”
Standing at an incline of seven degrees and at a height of 331 metres, works are currently taking place to complete the bridge, which will reach a length 290 metres across the main span (473.25 metres in total) and require 96 support cables to hold it in securely in place. Once completed, the bridge will also come equipped with a monitoring system, which will help to provide valuable data as to how the geological and meteorological conditions affect the overall structure.
At Doka, we accompany our clients throughout the project lifecycle. From project management to services and products, Doka is your construction partner for infrastructure, power, industrial, institutional and residential.