2.07 km, over Rs 200 crore, and much more: What you need to know about the new Pamban Bridge

Around 84 per cent of work has been completed on India’s first vertical lift railway sea bridge – the new Pamban Bridge, the Ministry of Railways informed on Thursday (1 December).

The 2.07 km long Pamban rail sea bridge in Tamil Nadu will connect the holy Rameswaram on Pamban island to mainland India.

It is also expected to be a boon for pilgrims travelling to Rameswaram and Dhanuskhodi as well as enhance tourism.

Sharing pictures of the architectural marvel, the Railways ministry also said in its tweet that the track laying work is in progress, while the fabrication of the vertical lift span girder is about to be finished. “Assembling platform for vertical lift span on Rameswaram end of the bridge is getting ready,” the ministry added.

More from Explainers

What is a vertical lift bridge? What are the features of the new Pamban Bridge? Let’s take a closer look.

Vertical lift bridge

According to the Multnomah County website, “Vertical lift bridges use a system of counterweights and cables to move an interior lift span section that remains horizontal as it is raised up and down like an elevator, allowing river traffic to pass beneath the structure.”

US’ Hawthorne Bridge, Ryde Bridge in Australia and France’s Pont Jacques Chaban-Delmas are some examples of vertical lift bridges.

Features of the new Pamban Bridge

Built at the cost of around Rs 540 crore, the new Pamban Bridge will facilitate the movement of ships across the railway bridge, as per Businessline.

However, as per several reports, the project was estimated at a cost of Rs 280 crore.

The new link will replace the iconic Pamban bridge which was India's first-ever sea bridge opened in 1914.

The old bridge that connects Tamil Nadu with the Pamban or Rameswaram Island, is one of the longest sea bridges in the country.

The 6,700-foot structure was built by the British to strengthen trade relations with Sri Lanka, reported Indian Express.

Developed by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), the new bridge is being constructed parallel to the old railway bridge. The Railways had said earlier that the middle portion rises in thew new bridge to allow ships to pass through.

The work on the bridge began in February 2020. The new bridge, which is 12.5 metres above ocean level, will be 3 metres higher than the old one and will have 100 spans across the sea, as per Businessline.

The new Pamban bridge is expected to boost tourism. Twitter/@RailMinIndia

The 6,776 feet long bridge will allow two ships to cross it simultaneously, reported  Financial Express. 

The 72-metre-long vertical lift span can be elevated to enable the movement of ships or steamers.

The old bridge used Scherzer rolling lift technology that is manually operated and opens horizontally to let the ships pass through.

“The navigational span can be lifted up to a height of 17 metre using an electro-mechanical system, unlike manual operations in the old one,” says the Businessline report.

This system will be joined with the train control systems to provide “seamless system connectivity”, as per the Financial Express report.

ALSO READ: Pamban sea could be alternative route for Sethusamudram project

While the old bridge is a non-electrified track, the new one will be an electrified railway track, an official was cited by Construction World.

Sharing pictures of the old and the under-construction bridges, the Railways wrote in February, “Magnificent blue sky complementing Great Pamban Bridge! Exhilarating views of the Rameswaram-Madurai passenger train passing through the old bridge, the piers of under-construction new Pamban Bridge(Tamil Nadu) are also visible”.

According to the Construction World report, the trains will be able to run at a faster speed on this dual-track state-of-the-art bridge. It will also allow trains to carry more weight.

Commenting on the new bridge, BG Mallya, general manager of Southern Railway, told Businessline, “We are eagerly looking forward to the inauguration of the bridge as it will solve the problem with the old bridge in which there is a speed restriction of 15 kmph, which is nearly 100 years old and has a lot of corrosion. The new bridge will have a speed limit of 65 kmph”.

The double track in the new bridge’s substructure can accommodate “future doubling” and the superstructure will be provided for a single line, Mallya added.

With inputs from agencies

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