Noney Railway Bridge

Noney Railway Bridge
Noney railway bridge (under construction)
Coordinates	24°46′08″N93°33′29″E / 24.769°N 93.558°E / 24.769; 93.558
Carries	Single-track broad gauge railway (Jiribam–Imphal line)
Crosses	Ijei River
Locale	Noney district, Manipur, India
Owner	Indian Railways
Characteristics
Design	Multi-span pier bridge
Material	Reinforced concrete (piers), steel girders (superstructure)
Total length	703 m
Width	8.5 m
Height	141 m (pier height)
Longest span	8 spans (girder-launched)
History
Constructed by	Northeast Frontier Railway / contractors
Construction start	2014
Construction end	Girder launching completed May 2025; overall commissioning pending
Location

The Noney Railway Bridge or the Noney Bridge, officially known as the Bridge Number 164, is the world's tallest railway pier bridge which is under construction and is located in the Noney district of Manipur, India. ^{[1] [2]} It is located in the Jiribam-Imphal railway line, which is an 111 kilometres long railway line that will connect Imphal to India's broad-gauge rail network. ^[3] After it is fully done, it will surpass the existing record of the 139 m (456 ft) high Mala Rijeka Viaduct of Montenegro. ^[4]

Location

The bridge crosses the Ijei River in Noney district, Manipur, between the areas of Khumji and Karuangmuan. ^{[5] [1]} It lies on the route of the Jiribam-Imphal line operated by Northeast Frontier Railway. ^{[6] [7]}

History and construction

This bridge is part of the national priority project to connect Imphal to the rest of India by rail. ^{[8] [9]} The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) and other contractors are handling the construction as part of the 111 km Jiribam-Imphal project. ^[10]

By March 2024, local reports suggested an October 2024 target for completing major work. The girder launching, which involves putting up the superstructure spans, was completed in late May 2025. ^{[11] [1]}

In October 2025, the Governor of Manipur visited the site as the bridge approached the final stages of construction. State and railway officials reported ongoing work and activities for final commissioning. ^{[12] [13]}

Design and specifications

• Pier height: The bridge’s piers, especially P3 and P4 mentioned in reports, rise to about 141 meters. ^{[2] [4]}

• Overall length and width: The bridge is about 703 meters long and about 8.5 meters wide. ^{[6] [5]}

• Superstructure: The bridge contains several steel-girder spans that were launched or built between the high reinforced concrete piers. The final girder launches were completed in 2025. ^{[14] [2]}

Significance

The Noney Bridge is a major engineering milestone for Indian Railways and for northeastern India because it: ^{[1] [2] [15]}

• Enables the rail link to Imphal. This improves strategic connectivity, passenger travel, and freight flow for Manipur and nearby states. ^[6]
• It shows the ability to construct complex bridges in steep terrain, including the Himalayan foothills and deep river valley conditions.

See also

• List of railway bridges and viaducts
• Noney railway station

References

1. "World Highest Railway Bridge: NONEY | Noney District, Government of Manipur | India" . Retrieved 2025-10-21.
2. Chowdhuri, Rajib (2025-05-29). "World's Tallest Railway Pier Bridge Now Reality In Manipur". www.deccanchronicle.com. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
3. "Indian Railways Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal line project in North-East to have world's tallest pier bridge; details". The Financial Express. 2021-10-05. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
4. "World's tallest railway bridge in the making in Manipur". The Times of India. 2018-12-08. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 2025-10-21.
5. "Oct 2024 target set to complete world's tallest pier rail bridge : 07th mar24 ~ E-Pao! Headlines". e-pao.net. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
6. www.ETInfra.com. "Northeast Frontier Railway completes girder launching on Noney Bridge in Manipur". ETInfra.com. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
7. Admin, IT Web (2025-04-11). "Govt taking all measures to complete Jiribam–Imphal Railway Project: MoS Ravneet Singh". News from Manipur - Imphal Times. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
8. "Jiribam-Imphal railway line: Here's all you need to know about the national project". Jagranjosh.com. 2020-06-04. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
9. "Jiribam-Imphal railway line to connect Manipur's capital with national rail network". The Indian Express. 2025-09-18. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
10. Service, Express News (2025-05-29). "NF Railway completes girder launch on world's tallest pier bridge in Manipur". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
11. "Noney Bridge: Good news for Northeast! World's tallest railway pier bridge 75% complete; Details". The Financial Express. 2022-06-30. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
12. Correspondent (2025-10-19). "Governor Bhalla inspects world's tallest rail bridge in Manipur's Noney District". assamtribune.com. Retrieved 2025-10-21.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
13. "Manipur Governor visits worlds tallest railway bridge in Noney". NORTHEAST NOW. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
14. "NFR completes girder launch on world's tallest railway pier bridge". MorungExpress. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
15. Bhandari, Shashwat; News, India TV (2022-08-24). "World's highest pier railway bridge on Jiribam–Imphal in Manipur takes shape | WATCH". India TV News. Retrieved 2025-10-21.{{cite web}}: |last2= has generic name (help)