The construction of India’s pioneering vertical-lift bridge, the Pamban Railway Bridge, linking the mainland with Rameswaram island, encounters a new challenge: negotiating a sharp curve. Alongside its mechanical intricacies and the turbulent sea, this curve presents an additional hurdle for Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), tasked with building this 2.08-km-long marvel.
Moving a 72.5-m-long, 16-m-wide, 550-tonne lift span from Rameswaram’s end to 450 m into the sea for attachment to the bridge poses a monumental task. Since March 10, RVNL has managed to shift the lift span 80 m towards the bridge’s center. However, the curved alignment of the bridge, spanning 2.65 degrees, slows down the process. This curve, necessitated by various alignment adjustments, complicates the movement.
Completion of moving the lift span to its designated spot is targeted by the end of May, requiring another 370 m of travel. Once beyond the curved section, progress is expected to accelerate. Precision and caution are paramount due to the structure’s size and weight, ensuring each step in the sea is meticulously executed.
RVNL has set a deadline of June 30 to operationalize the bridge, with officials striving to meet it. Once the lift span is in place, the remaining tasks are deemed manageable. Designed by Spanish firm TYPSA and manufactured at Sattirakkudi Railway Station, the lift span was assembled near the coast due to logistical constraints.
The old Pamban bridge, operational since 1913, was deemed unfit in December 2022, prompting a halt in train services between Mandapam and Rameswaram. Trains previously made the journey to Rameswaram in about 15 minutes over the old bridge.
With the new bridge, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2019 and commenced by RVNL in February 2020, Southern Railway anticipates enhanced rail connectivity and increased traffic between the mainland and Rameswaram island. Before the construction of a road bridge in 1988, train services were the sole means of transportation between Mandapam and Rameswaram island, nestled in the Gulf of Mannar.
The new bridge, built to accommodate double lines, promises improved rail operations and connectivity, symbolizing a significant leap forward in India’s infrastructure landscape.