The new Pamban rail bridge in Tamil Nadu is nearing completion, Railway Board member for infrastructure Anil Khandelwal said. Test runs are scheduled to take place in the next two months.
The update came after Khandelwal inspected the bridge, where he said the construction was 90 percent complete, the Times of India reported.
The new bridge will be around 2.2 kilometers long and will connect Pamban Island and Rameswaram with India’s Mandapam town. It will replace the existing century-old iconic building built during British rule.
India’s first vertical-lift railway sea bridge, a marvel of modern engineering, will transform connectivity and maritime navigation in the region. Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (ARVNL) is building it at a cost of Rs 535 crore.
The vertical-lift bridge, 3 m higher than the existing bridge, will have a navigational clearance of 22 m above sea level. It will be controlled by an electro-mechanical control system interlocked with the train control system.
The Pamban Railway Sea Bridge has 99 horizontal spans, each spanning 18.3 m, and a single span of 72.5 m.
The railway bridge connects the mainland to Rameswaram, a historic South Indian town that is one of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites; Badrinath is also to the north, Dwarka is also to the west, and Puri is also to the east.
The bridge is an example of the continuing synergy of tradition and innovation that makes India’s growth story distinctive.