Old(150 year old) Yamuna Bridge (Prayagraj)

India / Uttar Pradesh / Allahabad / Prayagraj / GAUGHAT
 bridge, railway bridge, road bridge
Built in 1911 & 1927 by east india company.
Double Deck-Double Road below-Double Rail Line on Top. Steel Trusses.
As the nation would be celebrating Independence Day on August 15, the historical Naini railway bridge standing majestically above the gently flowing Yamuna will also create a record as it would also complete 150 years of its existence on that day. This bridge has become a witness of the illustrious journey of Indian Railways. It serves as a vital link on the New Delhi-Howrah route.

Naini Bridge was a crucial link between Kolkata and Delhi soon after the advent of railways in the Indian sub-continent in 1853.

The location of the bridge between Naini and Allahabad had been decided as early as 1855. The actual work began in 1859 and the bridge was opened for public on August 15, 1865. By then, rail lines on both sides of the bridge to Delhi and Howrah was almost complete. The length of the bridge is 3,150 feet. It comprises 14 spans of 200 feet and two of 60 feet. The bridge has a railway line on the top and a roadway beneath. It was designed by engineer Rendell. Depth of foundation below is upto 42 feet and the height from low water level to underside of girder is 58.75 feet. The weight of the girder is 4,300 tons. It is estimated that about 2.5 million cubic feet of masonry and brick work was used in it. The total cost of construction at that time was Rs 44,46,300, of which Rs14,63,300 was the cost of girders.

One of the unique characteristic of this bridge is its 13th pillar, which is shaped in the form of 'Elephant's Foot.' There is also interesting story for this pillar. During construction, by August 1862, all the wells had almost been completed except the well for pillar number 13. As this particular well had a problem, a coffer dam had to be built to overcome the difficulty. The water level was lowered by 9 feet, the well was dug out and a flooring of ash and stones was laid. On this, an arch was sprung of stone masonry, 52 feet in diameter, over which the pier was built. This pier was given the shape of an elephant's foot and it has given stability to the bridge.

The first train ran on the bridge on July 15, 1865 and on August 8, the girders were carefully tested with a load comprising five engines and tenders. Finally, the bridge was opened for public on August 15, 1865, allowing uninterrupted traffic between Calcutta and Agra.

In 1928-29, the old girders were replaced by new ones. The route was one of the earliest to be electrified, masts were erected to carry the overhead traction contact wires. In 2007, wooden sleepers were replaced by steel channel sleepers. The illustrious journey of about 150 years of this bridge is also a telling comment on the condition of the other bridges of the city. Shastri Bridge on Ganga develops snags and often traffic is halted on the bridge. Ironically, the bridges constructed after Independence require regular maintenance. However, Naini bridge constructed during the British period has completed about 150 years and still in robust condition. Talking to TOI, general manager of North Central Railway Arun Saksena said, "It is quite commendable that Naini bridge is completing about 150 years. This bridge is a vital artery of the railways which connects the country with the eastern India including Howrah, Kolkata, Gauhati and other places."
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   25°25'26"N   81°51'0"E

Comments

  • There is a very unique feature about of bridge.One of the pillars is in the shape of a high heeled boot.The reason being when the bridge was being constructed by the Britishers this particular pillary used to get dislocated due to floods in the underlying Yamuna river.The wife of the chief engineer had a dream in which she saw she was standing in water wearing high heel boot so the water flowed freely between the heel and sole of the shoe.She suggested this to the engineer hence the boot shape !
  • My father was the Supdt. of the Govt. Printing Press, within the Prison. My sister and myself can remenber Indira Gandhi in Prison. We lived in a big house opposite the womens enclosure (main gate) There has a big banyan tree and a well that the prisioners provided water for the prison warders community. Before we left piped water was availabe under a neem tree outside our house Bill Stephens Email yorkiebill@hotmail.com
  • There is a very unique feature about of bridge.One of the pillars is in the shape of a high heeled boot.The reason being when the bridge was being constructed by the Britishers this particular pillary used to get dislocated due to floods in the underlying Yamuna river.The wife of the chief engineer had a dream in which she saw she was standing in water wearing high heel boot so the water flowed freely between the heel and sole of the shoe.She suggested this to the engineer hence the boot shape !
  • Old naini bridge is the most beautiful bridge for me
  • This bridge was built by one of my uncle's who wife had dreamt about the foot for one pillars which used to get swept away.
This article was last modified 9 years ago