Manipur: World’s tallest railway pier bridge nears completion, construction works delayed due to violence
IMPHAL: The tallest railway pier railway bridge in Manipur is nearing completion.
However, the construction works of the bridge got delayed due to the unprecedented violence in Manipur for nearly seven months.
The tallest railway pier bridge in the world, with a height of 141 meters, is being constructed in Noney district of Manipur.
The violence in Manipur hindered the progress of the construction of the bridge.
This bridge an integral part of the 111-kilometre-long Jiribam-Imphal railway line project in Manipur, which is being constructed at a cost of Rs 14,322 crore.
It was scheduled to be completed by August 2023.
Sabyasachi De, chief public relations officer (CPRO) of the Northeast Frontier (NF) Railway said: “At this crisis, it is quite difficult to say when the tallest bridge will be fully completed.”
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However, 80 percent of its construction works have been completed to date, Sabyasachi De said.
The construction works began on August 15, 2021.
Under the Northeast Frontier (NF) Railway, the bridge is being constructed by Bharatiya Infra Project Limited (BIPL).
The 703m long Noney Bridge constructed over River Ijai near the town of Noney will surpass the current record holder, Mala Rijeka viaduct in Montenegro, which stands 139m above the ground.
The bridge will transport passengers between Jiribam and Imphal in Manipur under two and a half hours, reducing the current 10 hours and 220 km journey by road.
The full line includes 52 tunnels with a combined length of 61.3kms, with the longest being 10.3 km.
The section from Jiribam to Khongsang has already been commissioned for train service.
The project has already achieved physical progress of 93.30 percent and it will be completed by December end of 2023, the official added.
