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The new Pamban Bridge is 2.08 km long. Its foundation was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2019.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu on 6 April on Ram Navami amidst the New Education Policy (NEP) and Triya Language Policy dispute. Here he will inaugurate the new Pamban Bridge on the Arabian Sea. It is Asia’s first vertical lift Spanish railway bridge.
The 2.08 km long bridge connects Rameswaram (Pamban Island) to the mandapam of Tamil Nadu, the mainland of India. Prime Minister Modi laid its foundation in November 2019. Keeping the future in mind, it is designed for double track and high-speed trains.
The new bridge made of stainless steel has a polysiloxen coating, which will protect it from rust and sea salty water. The old bridge was closed in 2022 due to war. Since then, the rail connectivity between Rameshwam and Mandapam was over.
After the inauguration, PM Modi will visit the Ramanathswamy temple in Rameswaram. According to the Ramayana, the construction of Ram Sethu started from Dhanushkodi near Rameswaram. Because of this, it is also important from the perspective of faith. This is the reason why PM Modi is inaugurating it on Ram Navami.
Apart from this, the PM will lay the foundation stone of various rail and road projects costing more than Rs 8300 crore in the state. On this occasion, he will also address a public meeting.
The picture has a new Pamban Bridge at the back. It is vertically (above). There is an old Pamban Bridge at the front.
The bridge rises in 5 minutes The new Pamban Bridge is made up of 100 spans i.e. parts. When the sea ship has to leave, the center span (middle part) of this navigation bridge (opening bridge) is up.
It works on electro-mechanical systems. Because of this, its center span can rise up to 22 meters in just 5 minutes. Only one man will be needed for this. At the same time, the old bridge was the Cantillar Bridge. It was manually opened through liver, which required 14 people.
However, the vertical system will not work when the sea wind speed is 58 kmph or higher and will become an automatic red signal. The movement of the train will stop till the wind speeds normal. This often occurs between October and February. Strong winds blow during these months.
How the bridge’s mechanism works The mechanism of the vertical lift bridge works on the balance system. It has counter-weight installed. When the bridge rises up, both span and counter-weight are supported with the help of Shivs i.e. big wheels.
When the bridge comes down, counter-weights take over the weight. Due to this technology, the bridge can bear more weight. This causes the vertical lifting of the bridge to be smooth and safe.
Understand the process of passing the ship from under the bridge in 3 stages from animation …
First Phase: The new bridge center will be picked up by Spanish vertically
Second phase: Old bridge will be lifted by tilting
Third phase: The ship will come out from under the bridge
Train trial has been done on the bridge
South Railway had run a light engine trial on the new Pamban Bridge on 12 July 2024. The trial confirmed the strength and security of the bridge. This was followed by a tower car trial run on 4 August 2024, in which OHE (overhead equipment) tower car was run till Rameswaram station.
The successful trial of Rameswaram Express train took place on 31 January 2025. The train was taken from Mandapam to Rameswaram station. During this time the vertical lift bridge was first raised up for the patrolling boat of the Indian Coast Guard.
The Railway Safety Commissioner (CRS) has approved the speed limit of 75 kmph for the bridge, but this rule will not apply to the middle part of the bridge i.e. the upper part. 50 kmph is allowed for the lift part.
The new Pamban Bridge took a successful trial on 31 January 2024. The train was taken from Mandapam to Rameswaram station.
CRS found flaws in the new bridge The CRS of Southern Railway submitted an inspection report in November 2024 regarding the Pamban Bridge. In this report sent to the Ministry of Railways, three main objections were made about the bridge …
1. Planning of the bridge was wrong. It did not have a standard design of Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO).
2. The specification of the bridge is not of RDSO but is international.
3. RDSO was not included in the design and construction of the bridge design and construction.
The Railway Ministry formed a committee of five people based on this report. Despite this, the CRS had allowed train traffic on this bridge with certain conditions. MP Singh, Director of Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), who included in the committee, said that the panel has investigated all aspects of the bridge. This bridge is safe up to 100 years for train operations.
The train on the new Pamban Bridge will run at a maximum speed of 75 kmph.
Specialty of new Pamban Bridge
- Fully automated vertical lift span – The new bridge is fully equipped with an automated vertical lift system compared to the old manual Sherger lift. This will make the train operations easier.
- Ships will be able to pass through high altitude – The old bridge opened up to 19 meters height, but the new bridge has a 22 -meter air clearance. This will enable larger ships to pass comfortably.
- Double Track and Electrication – The new bridge is designed for high speed trains. It includes double track and electrified system.
The new Pamban Bridge was to be built by December 2021, but was ready in 2024 due to Corona.
Southern Railway said- safe for 58 years In January this year, Southern Railway shared a document, saying that the strong surface conservation system against the war could protect the bridge’s lifetime for 38 years without maintenance and for 58 years with minimal maintenance.
At the same time, the old Pamban Bridge had maintained rail connectivity for 108 years. It was closed due to war in December 2022. It is also known as ‘Cantillar Sherger Rolling Lift Bridge’. The name was named after German engineer Sherjar. He made the design of the old bridge.
Why need to build a bridge During the British rule, it was planned to create a sea route to connect India and Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) in 1850. For this, there was an idea of building a canal in Palk Strait (Setusamudram), but the scheme began to seem impossible due to economic and environmental reasons.
After this, the British administration prepared a new plan. Under this plan, the railway line between Mandapam and Pamban Island in Tamil Nadu and then from Dhanushkodi to Colombo was to be connected to Ferry (boat).
2 main reasons for building bridge…
- Rameswaram was religious and commercially important. A large number of people used to come here to visit. The boat was used for this. It was difficult to travel due to strong winds and sea waves.
- The British wanted better connectivity between Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu, so that business from Sri Lanka could increase. For this, the British administration decided to build a railway bridge.
How this historic Pamban bridge was built The plan to build the old Pamban Bridge was made in 1870, but the work started in 1911. Rail service started on 24 February 1914 through this bridge. The length of this bridge was 2.06 km. It was made with special technology so that the ship could pass under it.
M -specialty of old bridge
- The Sherger lift system was installed in this bridge, which could lift the middle part, so that the ships could find way.
- It was the first sea bridge in India and worked for rail service for about 100 years.
- Special iron was used to protect the bridge from sea salt water and strong winds.
Pamban Bridge broken in 1964 cyclone On 23 December 1964, a cyclone, which came at a speed of 240 km/h, damaged the bridge badly. A train also overturned in this, killing 150 people. Even after this devastation, the government rebuilt it in just 46 days. The responsibility of repairing it was given to E. Sreedharan.
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Read this news related to Pamban Bridge too …
Train trial took place on Pamban Bridge in Rameswaram: country’s first vertical lift bridge, 2 km long
A successful trial of Rameswaram Express was conducted on 31 January on the new Pamban railway bridge in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. The train was taken from Mandapam to Rameswaram railway station. There was no passenger in it. Local people are happy with the start of train service after 2 years. Apart from this, the vertical lift up bridge was first lifted up for the patrolling boat of the Indian Coast Guard. After this, the boat passed under the bridge. Read full news