The Pamban Rail Bridge, India’s first vertical lift railway sea bridge, will commence operations in the southern Tamil Nadu region, which is strategically situated just 16 km from the northernmost regions of neighbouring Sri Lanka, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi declares it open on April 6 on the occasion of Ram Navami.
This advanced infrastructure project replaces the iconic 1914 bridge. It aims to enhance connectivity between the mainland and Rameswaram Island, a pilgrimage centre with a centuries-old temple featuring the longest corridors in the country.
Situated in an area prone to cyclones and high winds, the new bridge features a vertical lift span that can be raised in just five minutes to allow ships to pass.
Interestingly, the lifting mechanism cannot be operated when the wind velocity reaches 58 kilometres per hour (km/h) or higher, a common occurrence between October and February.
Once operational, the trains can travel up to 75 km/h, a significant increase from the old bridge’s previous 10 km/h limit. With a clearance of 22 metres above sea level, the new bridge greatly exceeds the old bridge’s clearance of just 1.5 metres, allowing larger vessels to pass underneath. Additionally, it is designed to support future railway electrification, ensuring easy upgrades to modern rail systems.
Designed to endure harsh coastal conditions, the bridge features stainless steel reinforcements and composite sleepers. With the new bridge now operational, train services such as the Rameswaram-Tirupati Weekly Express and Rameswaram-Kanyakumari Tri-Weekly Express will resume, benefiting both pilgrims and tourists.
The improved connectivity is expected to stimulate local businesses and boost tourism.
The new bridge features 100 spans, each measuring 18.3 metres, and a single navigational span of 63 metres, significantly enhancing the previous structure.
“This new bridge has replaced the 110-year-old structure, which had become unsafe for transit due to severe corrosion,” stated Sharad Srivastava, divisional manager of Southern Railway in Madurai.
Old sentinel
The old bridge, which spanned two kilometres between the mainland and the island near Sri Lanka, was recognised as India’s second longest sea bridge, following the 2.3-kilometre Bandra-Worli sea link on Mumbai’s western coast.
In the late 1870s, the British East India Company aimed to create a railway connection between Dhanushkodi and Colombo to boost trade. Establishing rail connectivity between the mainland and Pamban Island was crucial to achieving this goal. There were also plans to extend the railways over Adam’s Bridge to Ceylon, connecting the Ceylon and Indian railways and establishing a direct link between the port of Colombo and India.
A project proposal was submitted to the British Parliament for constructing a rail bridge from Mandapam to Pamban and Dhanushkodi to Thalaimannar, with a budget of Rs 299 lakh, following a feasibility study. However, the proposal was declined due to financial concerns, though Rs 70 lakh was allocated for constructing the Pamban Rail Bridge. Delphine Prema Dhanaseeli, who researched the history of Rameswaram and its surroundings, noted that manufactured materials were transported from Britain, and construction progressed smoothly on the Mandapam side.
The construction utilised 2,000 tonnes of steel and involved approximately 200 workers. The contractor for the project was Karoji Kutz, based in Gujarat.
During the construction period, many materials were lost due to a severe cyclone and high waves, and numerous labourers succumbed to cholera.
The bridge, inaugurated on February 25, 1914, was constructed to allow ships to pass beneath it.
A P Lipton, a retired principal scientist and head of the marine biotechnology division at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, originally from Rameswaram, confirmed that the old bridge withstood vertical tectonic movement along the coastline in 1948 and endured a catastrophic cyclone in 1964, continuing to serve its purpose effectively.
That cyclone devastated many areas in the region, particularly Pamban and Dhanushkodi, resulting in numerous fatalities. After the cyclone, train engineers repaired the bridge and restored normal operations within 45 days.
The Pamban Rail Bridge was the sole link between Mandapam and Rameswaram for decades until a parallel road bridge was built in 1988.
In 2022, excessive vibrations were detected during train operations after a team of experts from IIT Madras installed monitoring equipment. The discovery concluded that the bridge was no longer suitable for train operations.
Train operations on the ageing bridge were halted in December 2022. Trains have been running till Mandapam, marking the end of an era in the region’s transportation history.
Srivastava though added that the new bridge, designed for high-speed trains, had a successful trial run, confirming its functionality and safety.
He also mentioned that the bridge launch ceremony will signify the restoration of train services to Rameswaram after the two-year interruption.
Kalam connection
APJ Abdul Kalam, the former President of India, was born in Rameswaram. In his early days, he relied on the railway to collect newspaper bundles from the mainland, which he then distributed among readers on the island to earn a living. According to Kalam’s close relative, APJ MK Sheikh Saleem, the railway connection was crucial in shaping his future.
The trains began operating on the island, transporting him to various educational institutions and providing him with a strong foundation to become the nation’s leading missile expert. During that time, Saleem noted that no road bridge connected Rameswaram to the mainland.
During the centenary celebrations in of 2014, Kalam reminisced about his student days when he frequently crossed the bridge on trains. He shared his fondness for Pamban, especially the bridge and the train journeys he took while travelling for his studies and when returning home. Kalam described the bridge as an engineering marvel. Despite his request for a centenary train service between Pamban and Chennai and the modernisation of the Pamban railway station, these initiatives have yet to be realised.
