Vertical life sea bridge at Pamban to be completed by March 2022

The 2.05 km vertical life sea bridge construction at Pamban, which was undertaken by the Indian Railways, will be operational from March 2022.

The new railway bridge will connect Rameswaram to the mainland in Tamil Nadu. It will ensure that trains operate at higher speeds, carry more load and increase the traffic volume between Pamban and Rameswaram.

Currently, the Pamban bridge which connects Rameswaram to the mainland of India is 105 years old.

The first vertical-lift bridge in India, Pamban connects Rameswaram in the Arabian Sea to the mainland of India, allowing ships and steamers to move without hindrance.

Over 2 km long railway bridge is estimated to cost Rs 250 crore with a 63 m stretch, which will remain parallel to the deck to allow access to the ships.

The existing bridge has Scherzer rolling lift technology to let the ship pass through, and the new bridge with a 63 m stretch will lift vertically upwards while remaining parallel to the deck. It will be made possible through sensors at each end. Railways decided to have 100 spans of 18.3 m and one navigational span of 63 m in the new bridge.

The new bridge will be three m higher than the older one with navigational air clearance of 22 m above sea level. Due to this vertical lift, the horizontal width of 63 metres will be available for navigation.

The proposed bridge will have a double line structure, and the navigational span will also have provision for the double line.

The overall design of the railway bridge will be designed given the railways' plan of electrification.

The new bridge will have electro-mechanical control systems, which will be interlocked with the train control systems.

Other technologies, including stainless steel reinforcement, composite sleepers, and long-life painting systems, have been included in the bridge designing plan.

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