Rail services on the 2.07 km long Pamban rail link connecting the Indian mainland to Rameshwaram island are likely to resume in two months. Operations on the link have been suspended for almost a year to replace the country’s first vertical lift sea bridge in the middle of the rail link, which had deteriorated.
According to Southern Railway, Railway Board Member Infrastructure Anil Kumar Khandelwal inspected the progress of redevelopment and new bridge at Rameshwaram station on Friday.
For the Railways, it is a prestigious project in the Bay of Bengal. Like the old cantilever bridge, the new bridge, built at a cost of about âı540 crore, is also an architectural marvel, facilitating the movement of ships across the railway bridge. The navigational span can be raised to a height of 17 meters using an electro-mechanical system, unlike manual operations in the old one.
Work on the new bridge, constructed by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited, began in February 2020. It will have 100 spans across the sea and will be 3 meters higher than the existing bridge.
The old ‘Great’ Pamban cantilever bridge was commissioned in 1914 and stood for over a century, connecting peninsular India and the Gulf of Mannar. The navigational span, known as the Scherzer rolling lift span, was named for the railroad engineer who invented it.
The bridge was originally built for meter gauge trains and was later strengthened to broad gauge standard in 2006â07. The Scherzer rolling span expands and allows cruisers and ships to pass. It also carries pilgrims visiting Ramanathaswamy temple.
India’s metro man E Sreedharan is synonymous with the Pamban rail bridge, which was destroyed by a cyclone on December 23, 1964. However, in just 46 days, he and his team achieved the almost impossible task of restoring the bridge. In fully functional condition.
