New Pamban Railway Bridge completed in five years' time, poised for inauguration by PM soon

RAMESHWARAM: The new Rs 531 crore Pamban Rathway Bridge here, India's lone vertical lift tindige, featuring a vertical lift span of 72.5 metres, is completed and poised for Inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon, an official said on Friday.

Constructed by the Southem Railway Zone to connect Rameswaram Island to mainland India in Tamil Nadu's Ramanathapuram district, new bridge was completed in five years we have model.

This bridge is ready for inauguration. Everything is ready just waiting for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come and inaugurate it an official told PTI, adding that the PM could inaugurate by February end.

Stretching up to a length of 2.1 km, the bridge was commissioned in February 2019, and was completest in November 2024. The weight of the vertical lift span of the bridge, part of the indige which rises up vertically, is 660 MT.

Two counterweights of 310 MT sach hang on top of ather towers of the bridge, which are augmented by motors to add the additional 40 MT weight needed to match the 600 MT weight of the vertical lift span during the lifting operation, said the official.

As many as 3.38 lakh cement bags, of structural steer and 5,772 MT of reinforcement stainless steel, among other materials warm used to pract the new bridge whose towers rise up to a maximum height of 34 metres

The engineering marvel, designed to last more than a century can raise its vertical lift span to a hoight of 17 mithes when large fishing boats pass underneath, through the Palk Strait It takes five minutes and 30 seconds to lift the vertical lift span to the height of 17 metres

According to the Southem Railway, the sub-structure of the bridge was built and equipped in such a way that a double line also be laid over it with electrification when needed.

Umike the old Pamban Bridge built by the Britishers, which moured 16 persons to manually open upwards when boats passed beneath, the new one is seamlessly operated by an slectro mechanical system, which is also interincked with train control systems for the separation of the navigational span

To withstand the corrosive seawater of the Bay of Bengal and the powerful water cuments passing through the Ralk Strat, the painting scheme included two chats of zinc metallizing eplus zinc nch primer and polysiloxane. The painting scheme is expected to last 35 years

According to officials, the new bridge handle up to 12 trains a day initially, which can the Increased while the authonsed maximum train speed is 75 km per hour

The old Pamban Bridge was commissioned for metre gauge traffic on February 24, 1914. It was further strengthened for broad gauge standard. The last train that passed over the old tridge was In 2022.

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