India’s first vertical lift railway sea bridge viz ‘Pamban Bridge’ on Monday allowed the passage of three ships under its central part, attracting a huge influx of tourists to enjoy the spectacular view.
Ferries/small boats coming from the Gulf of Mannar to the Bay of Bengal have to cross the Pamban Rail Bridge, which is designed to allow ferry movement by lifting the middle part of the bridge when trains are not running it.
The suspension bridge of Pamban was opened and one ship passed travelling from Goa to Visakhapatnam, the second ship passed travelling from Lakshadweep to Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu and the third ship passed travelling from the South to the Indian Coast Guard Station at Mandapam on the North, Pamban port office official mentioned to ANI.
Connectivity corners
The 2.057 km long bridge connects mainland Tamil Nadu with Rameswaram island. Designed by German engineer Scherzer, the amazing feature of a double-leaf section is used for allowing the movement of ships and boats allowing crucial ferry and transportation movement.
Three ships crossed the Pamban Rail Bridge and fishing boats also crossed the way. As the Pamban Bridge opened to allow ships to pass through, more than 10 local fishing boats rushed from North to South and South to North before the arrival of the ship.
Revamping Pamban
Railway Board chairperson Jaya Varma Sinh recently mentioned that the reconstruction work of the Pamban railway bridge will finish and will become operational very soon.
“The reconstruction work is going very well and we will be restoring the services very soon. Our people have done a commendable job considering the multiple challenges that they have been facing in the bridge reconstruction. Building a vertical-lift bridge, which is the first-of-its-kind in the country, on the sea which tends to get very rough is a very challenging task,” Sinh added.
In December 2022, the train services on the bridge were suspended after the existing rail bridge was declared non-operational from a safety point of view.
Built in 1913, the Pamban Rail Bridge connects Rameswaram to mainland India and is 105 years old. The original bridge was built in 1914 to connect Mandapam to the Rameswaram island situated in the Gulf of Mannar. It was the only link connecting the two locations until a new road bridge was built parallel to the sea link in 1988.
The redevelopment of the sea bridge is being executed by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) for Rs 535 crores as of Dec 2022. The bridge will allow the Indian Railways to operate trains at a higher speed. It will also increase traffic between the mainland of India and Rameswaram island.