Railways’s Longest Grade Separator Bridge

• 20 Aug 2025

Why in News? 

Indian Railways has achieved a significant milestone with the completion of the country's longest elevated grade separator bridge at Katni Junction, Madhya Pradesh, as part of a landmark project in the Jabalpur division of the West Central Railway. 

Key Points

• The project, which began in 2020 and is slated for completion by 2025, will feature Rail Over Rail (ROR) bridges with spans of up to 91.40 metres, allowing trains to bypass the entire city, easing traffic, and enhancing operational efficiency. 
• The new elevated 15.85 km bridge is a major part of the ongoing infrastructure modernization under the Prime Minister’s Gati Shakti initiative.

PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan

• About: A digital platform (launched in October 2021) integrating efforts of 16 ministries for seamless infrastructure planning and execution. 
• Objective: A transformative Rs. 100 lakh crore initiative aimed at revolutionizing India's infrastructure over the next five years. 
  • Developed by BISAG-N (Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics). 
  • Seeks to accelerate project completion, reduce timelines, and enhance India’s global competitiveness by breaking down inter-ministerial obstacles. 
• 6 Pillars of PM GatiShakti: 
  • Comprehensiveness: Integrates initiatives across ministries through a centralised portal. 
  • Prioritisation: Ministries prioritize projects effectively based on national needs. 
  • Optimisation: Identifies gaps, selects efficient routes, reduces costs, and minimises delays. 
  • Synchronisation: Coordination across ministries to avoid delays. 
  • Analytical Capabilities: GIS-based platform with 200+ data layers for better decision-making. 
  • Dynamic Monitoring: Real-time project monitoring using satellite imagery to track progress.