Construction work of new Pamban Bridge going in full swing, says Southern Railway

CHENNAI: The construction of new Pamban Bridge which is a 2,070-meter (6,790 ft) long that is being built parallel to the existing Pamban Bridge at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu is in full swing, said Southern Railway in a statement.

This upcoming structure will be India's first vertical lift sea bridge at an estimated cost of Rs 550 crores.

The new bridge will have 100 spans across the sea, 99 of which will be 18.3 meters and one of which will be 72.5 meters.

It will be 3 meters higher than the existing bridge. Reconstruction of Pamban Bridge was sanctioned in the year 2019 and the Bridge will be completed before the end of 2024 and commissioned for rail traffic.

The new bridge is constructed to facilitate movement of ships across the Railway bridge, navigational span can be lifted up to a height of 17 metres using fully automated Electro-mechanical system.

The air draft (vertical clearance) in the lifted position of navigational span will be equal to the vertical clearance available in the Road Bridge, which will facilitate movement of bigger ships seamlessly across the sea.

The new Pamban Bridge will be a modern bridge that can accommodate higher volumes of traffic.

The new bridge incorporates modern engineering techniques and materials to enhance durability and longevity.

All electromechanical equipment has been procured and trial assembly and trial run of the electro mechanical equipment has been done, the Southern Railway statement added.