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AM Chowdhary, commissioner of railway safety, Southern Circle, Bengaluru, conducted the statutory inspection of the new line and the Pamban bridge under the Madurai division
After the inspection, Chowdhary also conducted a high-speed trial run on the newly laid broad gauge line between Pamban and Mandapam and the train achieved a speed of 90 kmph on the section and 80 kmph on the bridge. Representational image/News18
The commissioner of railway safety on Thursday conducted the inspection of the newly laid broad-gauge line between the Pamban and Mandapam stations including the newly constructed Pamban bridge in Tamil Nadu, with a successful demonstration of the vertical lift girder span, an official statement announced.
AM Chowdhary, commissioner of railway safety, Southern Circle, Bengaluru, conducted the statutory inspection of the new line and the bridge under the Madurai division.
“During the inspection, the vertical lift girder span bridge along the Broad Gauge Line between Pamban and Mandapam across the Palk Strait, was operated to the inspecting officials,” the statement from Southern Railway announced.
The new Pamban bridge’s vertical lift girder span is considered to be an engineering marvel, ensuring safe and efficient rail and marine traffic, the statement added.
After the inspection, Chowdhary also conducted a high-speed trial run on the newly laid broad gauge line between Pamban and Mandapam and the train achieved a speed of 90 kmph on the section and 80 kmph on the bridge.
Train to Dhanushkodi
Dhanushkodi, the southernmost tip of the Rameswaram island, was a well-connected Indian town until 1964. It was considered a major point of entry to the country from the south.
However, after a tragic 1964 cyclone, the flourishing city got a new name — Ghost Town.
Post-1964, the town has not been re-established and tourists can only stay there until sunset. Only a limited number of people are settled there, most of whom are from the fishing community.
Some 55 years after the incident, the Indian Railways announced in 2018-19 that a new railway line between Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi would be built. The Pamban and Mandapam stations are a part of this 17 km new line project coming up at a cost of Rs 735 crore.
History of the bridge
The much-awaited Pamban railway bridge, measuring 2.05 km and connecting Rameswaram island to the Tamil Nadu mainland, is India’s first vertical lift railway sea bridge.
The existing non-operational Pamban rail bridge is over 100 years old and was originally built in 1914 to connect Mandapam to Rameswaram island on the Gulf of Mannar. It was the only link between the two locations until a new parallel road bridge came up in 1988.
The new bridge is coming up parallel to the old rail bridge but with enhanced features of vertical lifting.
The sea bridge is being executed by Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd for Rs 535 crore.
The new bridge will allow the Indian Railways to operate trains at a higher speed as well as increase traffic between the mainland and Rameswaram island. The bridge is also expected to enhance the tourism potential of the Rameswaram region.
The cyclone in the 1960s not only washed away the town but also an entire train with 115 people on board and destroyed the Pamban bridge.
What is seen now is the restored version of the bridge – that operated until 2022. While the train connectivity to Dhanushkodi was not given priority, the case was different with the Pamban bridge.
Considered to be the lifeline that connected the temple town Rameswaram to the mainland, the old Pamban bridge was restored in 45 days by the famous engineer E Sreedharan in the 1960s.