The Indian Railways has consistently grabbed headlines for building infrastructure projects that can be called the iconic marvels of modern Indian society. The Chenab Bridge of Jammu and Kashmir – the world’s highest rail bridge and the Bogibeel Bridge of Assam – one of the longest railway bridges in India are some of the marvels that railways have created. With the continuous success of these mega projects, the Indian Railways have surprised everyone with its cutting-edge technology and project implementation.
With the new Pamban Bridge, Indian Railways has strengthened its forte and taken engineering to a new level. The new Pamban Bridge – India’s first vertical lift railway sea bridge – is all set to replace its predecessor, the 105-year-old Pamban Bridge.
New Pamban Bridge: About
The new bridge is one of the biggest rail projects in Southern India. It will connect Mandapam (Tamil Nadu) with the holy town of Rameshwaram.
Talking about the completion of the project, the final touches were provided by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), Southern Circle, Bengaluru, who also conducted a statutory inspection of the newly laid broad gauge line between Pamban and Mandapam stations, including the newly constructed Pamban Bridge.
Under this project, the famous Rameshwaram railway station is also undergoing renovation. After the Rameshwaram station renovation and CRS inspection, the train movement over the new bridge is expected to start.
Need for new bridge and commencement
“The original bridge, which was more than a century-old, was built during the British era. It had aged significantly and was not considered safe for further usage,” said D Om Prakash, Senior Public Relations Officer from Southern Railway, commenting on the need to go in for a new bridge.
The old bridge served more than its life and was severely affected by the vagaries of weather, which contributed to corrosion. Moreover, the existing bbridge’sScherzer Span (Double Bascule) had severely eroded. The corrosion had reduced the life span of the structure.
The old Pamban Bridge started experiencing troubles in early 2022, and traffic was suspended temporarily. Structural experts from the Centre for Railway Research at IIT Madras recommended traffic stoppage over the Pamban Bridge. After frequent traffic stoppages Indian Railways finally built a new bridge. The construction work for the new bridge began after the foundation stone was laid through videoconferencing from Kanniyakumari by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 1 March 2019.
Construction work
The railways officials said that the construction was focused on the movement of trains and ships. This route has two movements: the train connecting Mandapam and Rameshwaram and the ships sailing below. Construction has to be so that both movements go on without hassles. This synchronization of rail and ship traffic required minute planning and extra effort. “The Ifting span took about more than 90 days to move from the mainland to the exact spot on the sea where it was fitted onto the bridge,” said Om Prakash.
About the Vertical Lift Span
The vertical lift span rises vertically like an elevator in an apartment from the ground to a height of 17 meters to facilitate the movement of ships below it.
“The unique Scherzer span of Pamban Bridge earned it the title “Engineering Marvel of Indian Railways. “The first vertical Lift Sea Bridge can be called “Modern Engineering Marvel” of Indian Railways.
The vertical lift span has many advantages compared to the Scherzer span in the old bridge designed by the well-known American railroad engineer William Donald Scherzer. When the vertical lift span goes up, there is more space below it for ships to move, which was not the case with the Scherzer span.
The old bridge had a single line where only one train could move. The new version of Pamban Bridge has scope for Double Lines, where two trains can move in either direction. The old bridge allowed trains to be hauled by erstwhile steam and diesel locomotives; the new Pamban Bridge has an electrified line where trains pulled by electric engines could move on it, provided the line from Ramanathapuram and the bridge to Rameswaram is also electrified, which is bound to happen shortly.
The new Pamban Bridge has a unique 72 m Vertical Lift Span, designed by TYPSA, an International consultant, taking into consideration European and Indian codes. Additionally, IIT Madras has checked the design proof. IIT Madras and IIT Bombay have also checked the modification in the RDSO design for approach girders to suit local constraints.
The new bridge is a 2,070 meter (6,790 ft) long sea bridge with 100 spans across the sea, 99 of which are 18.3 meters and one is 72.5 meters. It is built parallel to the existing Pamban Bridge at Rameshwaram. The bridge’s substructure consists of a 1.5 m diameter pile foundation and pile cap/pier cap with provision for two tracks. It is anticipated to cost more than Rs.500 crore.