Pamban railway sea bridge speed trial success, may open in November end

MADURAI: A successful OMS (Oscillation Monitoring System)-engine run showcased the precision and strength of the new Pamban sea bridge on Thursday, reaching speeds of 121 kmph on the Mandapam-Rameswaram section in Tamil Nadu and 80 kmph on the bridge.

During the speed trial, a freight train with three coaches attached to an engine sped along India’s first vertical lift sea bridge connecting Mandapam and Pamban railway stations. LN Rao, Additional Divisional Railway Manager, Madurai Division and Sandeep Bhaskar, Divisional Engineer, North and other officials were present during the engine run, sources said.

The 2.08-km-long vertical lift sea bridge has been constructed across the Palk Strait at an estimated cost of Rs 550 crore. Southern Railway has been carrying out several trial runs on the bridge and testing the centre lift span. The 72.5-metre-long, 16-metre-wide, 550-tonne centre lift span has been set up to facilitate the passage of ships.

RN Singh, General Manager of the Southern Railway, who inspected the works on October 22, said the bridge may be commissioned in November.

According to reliable sources, AM Chowdhary, CRS, Southern Circle, Bengaluru is scheduled to conduct a statutory inspection of the bridge and other works including the laying of the new broad-gauge track (single line) on diverted alignment between Mandapam and Pamban stations on November 13. Speed trial and demonstration of the functioning of locking and centring arrangements of lift girders are likely to be conducted on November 14, sources said.