Kashmir Rail Link: Indian Railways curbs 80% carbon emissions with sustainable solutions

Modi Govt's flagship infrastructure project, the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link (USBRL), in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir is not just an engineering marvel, it is also an illustration of sustainable construction methods, which are essential for India's infrastructural growth. With the continuous push for environmentally friendly solutions, Indian Railways has adopted a ground-breaking method to build an embankment out of soil. The solution offers increased resistance to natural disasters like earthquakes and is entirely sustainable. It also serves as an appropriate rationale for the use of alternative materials, such as tunnel muck, which reduces carbon emissions by up to 80% and project costs by 30%. This structure is about a kilometre away from the highest railway bridge being constructed over Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir.

Sustainable Infrastructure Development

Maccaferri (India) is constructing a flexible hybrid reinforced soil (RS) structure for embankment construction. Construction of RS structure will span the distance between the station and the tunnel and been focused on three areas. Part of the project consists of 46.1 km (86%) of tunnels, 5 km (9%) of bridges, and the remaining 5% of cuttings and embankments. For the first time, a railway infrastructure embankment design solution using RS technology is being constructed at this height. The railway track is being supported directly through this embankment.

 

Construction of this embankment is an excellent illustration of how sustainable techniques may be used to meet the nation's green goals such as Net zero, by drastically lowering carbon footprints.

USBRL Challenges

The construction was difficult since this axis passes over three significant geological thrust zones, Reasi, Muree, and one significant fault, the Sangaldan fault. The seismic zone 5 geological strata are made up of conglomerate, clay, siltstones, crushed, and faulted stones, as well as dolomites, which makes them vulnerable to natural disasters like earthquakes and landslides. The landscape also features large valleys that range in depth from 20 to 60 metres, making construction much more difficult.

Over 3 lakh cubic metres of tunnel muck, a waste product obtained from tunnel excavation, is utilized to construct these RS structures instead of concrete, a conventional method. The conventional approach would have been to construct a bridge and a reinforced cement concrete (RCC) wall simultaneously. Such construction entails significant carbon footprints in the environment and requires deep foundations. The conventional construction methods were also not preferred as the location's proximity to a railway station required a broader space, a deeper foundation, while the location remains in a high seismic zone.

Speaking about the project with Republic World, Vikramjiet Roy, MD, Maccaferri India, said, “India requires long-term solutions that are more environmentally friendly than conventional solutions. In this project by eliminating or decreasing the use of traditional construction materials and replacing them with alternative ones, overall carbon emissions has been reduced upto 80%. This was possible with use of tunnel muck and several other sustainable measures like biodegrable products, ensuring vegetation on these structures, gabions, erosion control technique, etc.”

This project is of national importance as it will provide rail connectivity to the beautiful valley of Kashmir, thus boosting tourism and leading to the economic growth of people in the valley.