Trains on Pamban bridge only after expert report

A team of railway authorities led by Vinod Kumar, Principal Executive Director, Safety, Railway Board, inspected the bridge, which links Rameswaram with the mainland, on Saturday. The team conducted a line trolley test to check the stability of the bridge, which is undergoing a repair work.

Addressing newspersons, Kumar said they are awaiting the report compiled by the Structural Engineering Research Centre (SERC), acentral agency functioning under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

Responding to a query, he was non-committal on the exact date of resumption of train service. “Services would resume only after the SERC submits its report,” Kumar said.

Train services to Rameswaram, an important pilgrim centre thronged by people from across the country, were suspended in December last year after the bridge suffered a minor damage.

Trains are terminated at Mandapam, from where buses are arranged for Rameswaram-bound passengers. A team led by Santhosh Kapuria of CSIR-SERC inspected the repair works carried out on the bridge last month. They also inspected the installation of censors on the bridge, before conducting a load test.