Zangmu Railway Bridge
Zangmu Railway Bridge
藏木雅鲁藏布江双线特大桥
Jiachazhen, Tibet, China
(295) feet high / (90) meters high
1,411 foot span / 430 meter span
2019
Zangmu Railway Bridge is the showcase bridge structure on the high speed line between Lhasa and Linzhi in mountainous Tibet. The main arch span of 430 meters will rank among the 15 longest arch spans in the world. Among railway-only arch spans, Zangmu will rank fourth only behind the Nujiang, Beipanjiang Qinglong and Xijiang Railway Bridges. Among CFST (Concrete Filled Steel Tubular) bridges, Zangmu is the largest ever used for a railway span. Once the arch is closed, concrete is pumped into the main arch rib tubes from the bottom up. Once hardened, the concrete solidifies and stiffens the arch, improving the compressive strength of the entire structure.
Since the main span of Zangmu is wedged between two steep mountain slopes, the arch sections will be lowered into place via one of the longest span highlines ever used for the construction of a bridge with a distance between cable anchorages of approximately 940 meters. The Yarlung Tsangpo River is the longest and largest waterway in Tibet, eventually feeding into the famous Brahaputra River and is often named the Tsangpo-Brahaputra when referring to the whole 2,900 kilometer long river.
Zangmu Railway Bridge satellite image of the probable crossing location.
Zangmu Railway Bridge location map.
