WORLD’S TALLEST RAILWAY BRIDGE PIER TO COME UP IN MANIPUR

Why in news?
• The Indian Railways is constructing the world’s tallest bridge pier in Manipur which is a part of 111 km
long Jiribam-Imphal railway project.
About world’s tallest railway bridge pier project in Manipur
• The ambitious project in Manipur is part of the 111 km long Jiribam-Imphal railway line to connect the
capital of Manipur with the broad-gauge network of the country.
Height
• The bridge, which is being built at a pier height of 141 metres, will surpass the existing record of 139
meter of Mala – Rijeka viaduct, Montenegro in Europe.
Significance
• With the completion of the project, the 111 km of distance will be covered in 2-2.5 hours. Presently,
the distance between Jiribam-Imphal (NH-37) is 220 km, which took about 10-12 hours of travelling.
The work on the bridge will be completed by December 2023.
Cost
• The 111 km project consists of 61 per cent of tunnels. According to the Chief Engineer, the total
anticipated cost of the bridge is Rs 374 crore.